The Legend of Zelda: Dreamer of Dragons
by TetsuoShima133
Summary: Set in a time when Hyrule is emerging from the dark ages into an industrial revolution, follow the adventures of young Link as he learns to embrace his strange destiny and harness the power of the mysterious Dreamworld. Heroes and villains, both new and familiar, will struggle for control over the fate of Hyrule and the future of all life as we know it. Link x Zelda.
1. Link

Author's note: Hey all. I'm Tetsuo. Just wanted to ask a favor of any of you who might be reading this thing actively: PLEASE REVIEW! Getting input from readers helps me to keep motivated and to better myself as a writer. So if you read don't forget to review. Thanks a bunch!

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The Legend of Zelda:

Dreamer of Dragons

Chapter 1

He could feel himself falling…

The sky was a whirling, yawning vortex of cobalt, the clouds a hundred rows of dagger teeth, and the shark that was the four winds threatened to consume him in one greedy bite. He could feel the icy sting of the air, rushing all around him, chapping his lips and tearing his clothes to ribbons. The tears streaming from his eyes trailed off into nothing, lost forever in that endless overhead ocean of air.

Link awoke with the scene still burning in his mind, his heart thundering against the confines of his ribcage, and sweat pouring out of every pore. He threw the sheets off, and gave a hoarse scream to the stifling, humid summer night.

A pale, gibbous moon gleamed at him through the window, and he could see the tops of trees glowing in the faerie light as the little orbs danced back and forth, no doubt still planting the morning dew, a duty legend had assigned to faery folk. Calm settled over him as he realized he was still in bed, still in the lush forest of Hyrule, with solid ground only a few feet beneath him, and not plummeting through the open sky. He sighed.

There was nothing but nightmares anymore, the boy reflected as he rose from his straw and feather bed and snatched a towel from a clothesline nearby. He regarded his dark and silent treehouse with somber melancholy as he dabbed the beads of sweat away from his brow and his neck. It had been nearly a month since he had slept well. He had taken to rising before the sun and not getting back to bed until well into the night in a vain attempt to minimize his exposure to the scene of terror that filled his dreams- a scene which did not diminish in its horror, despite its consistently growing familiarity. Always he was falling, through an endless sky, no ground in sight, and whether he had slept for one or eight hours in the waking world, the fall through that desolate and empty void of mocking blue felt eternal.

A creeping significance existed somewhere in this repeated vision, something that was beyond the boy's comprehension, but he felt that it was very real. Even as he sat upon the window sill, gazing out at the nighttime forest he made his lonely home, he couldn't shake the image of that endless sky from his mind. It felt like someone, somewhere was trying to tell him something… but what?

He went back into his treehouse, a round, single room of ramshackle carpentry constructed of scraps of wood and metal he had pilfered from the outskirts of nearby Castle Town, and rummaged through his single cupboard for something to put in his stomach. A mouse-gnawed, stale ear of bread was all he found therein, and his stomach warbled at him in desperate protest. He gnashed at the hard crust with a grimace on his face, and it made him look much older than thirteen.

The mystery of the nightmares was confounding and though he tried his best to garner some shred of coherent meaning from his fleeting memories of the rushing wind and sky, it amounted to very little, and soon his mind wandered on to other things. It would be morning soon, as the cuccoo crows, and he had a busy day ahead of him if he wanted to eat again before another night of nameless terror would overtake him.

Again he plucked something off the clothesline: a forest green tunic he had sewn himself from stolen cloth –and pulled it on, his tuft of messy blond hair springing out the top like a wave of golden grain crowning his dirt-smudged face. Then, it was gone again, as he pulled a matching cap like a great green sock over it. Stepping out into the moonlit night, he scurried down the ladder and disappeared into the twilight of the forest.

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Castle Town had been the largest city in Hyrule as long as anyone could remember. Over the hundreds of years it had stood at the Northern Border of the kingdom it had grown and grown until it had become fat and decadent. Its white walls and high parapets were stained with the sickly yellow of industry, and dwarfed by the tall smokestacks that belched their evil soot into the darkening sky. The walls of the city, to an unaccustomed eye, looked like a rising tidal wave of tarnished brass, dingy iron, and whistling steam. A thousand pipes of varying color and size ran up and down and back and forth along the twenty-foot high barrier, and the river that dragged along lazy and thick at its foot was pregnant with the potent stink of pollution. Its waters drifted, noxious and syrupy, under the great stone drawbridge, which had not been raised in immemorial centuries. Along this drawbridge, the poor and the vagrant had made little cities of canvas and animal skins, discarded wood and sheet metal, from which they, by day, accosted any travelers that they might trick, either through pity or the offering of some bauble or trinket, for a rupee or two to pay in tribute to the demon hunger.

Since Hylians had learned to harness the powers of coal and steam, and tame the curious energies of electricity, the temples of the old gods had gradually given way to factories, taller and more demanding of tribute than any deity. Here, thousands of people toiled with dirty hands and dirty faces, grinding out textiles, metalwork, and various sundries, working themselves to the very brink of death, and indeed sometimes beyond.

Link was orphaned in such a factory long ago, a nameless boy born to a frail and beautiful mother. She was unable to survive birthing him, and the boy was with no belongings and no inheritance. He became the charge of the city, and was thrust unceremoniously into one of the many overcrowded orphanages which grew up like weeds in the cracks between the factories and warehouses, of which orphans were a natural bi-product. At that time in Hyrule it was a custom to name the orphans after common tools or objects of the trade to which they were to belong once society had reared them up to the honest, working age of ten. So it followed that Link- who took his name from the great iron chains the factory near his orphanage produced –was meant to be a metal worker, as far as the city was concerned.

However, Link had proven more than a little resistant to the life of a typical Hylian orphan. So light was his step and so deft were his hands that often things went missing around him, and he was regularly disciplined by lashing with deku rods when hands could be lain upon him, though his nimbleness sometimes kept him well out of reach. When he had turned ten, when he should have entered into the life of a factory worker proper, he was thrown into the streets as a vagrant, and labeled as a thief with the branding of a triangle into the back of his left hand.

Link was a clever boy, though, and knew how to survive. He was quick at taking food and water from the places it could be found, and strong enough to fend off the other beggars. Besides, a natural affinity for animals and plants and places where nature still ruled was in him, and it did not take him long to trade the bleak city for the nearby cover of the faery woods.

Yet, as much as the endless green of the forest canopy beckoned him deeper, he was still bound to the city in some regard. He was not a hunter. Deft though he was at feats of stealth and skilled as he was with a sling or bow, it was not in the boy's nature to hunt and kill the same creatures which now comprised his only friends and companions. Fruit was too scarce in the forest, since long ago the Hylians had taken the best and most nourishing of it into the rotten city. What came in by cart and wagon came from foreign places, too distant and unknown to Link for him to seek them out. Link knew little of the world outside Hyrule, and though the forest beckoned to him with its promise of wonder and mystery, he dared not stray too far from the putrid city, wherein was his only guarantee of sustenance. At least, that is what he told himself, but a wiser and older part of him occasionally suggested he was afraid of what he might find if he strayed too far, and so chose the familiar evils of his rotten city over the unnamed evils of the world at large.

The sun was coming up over the Eastern mountains just as Link was clearing the tree line, and he saw the first golden rays play across the wheat fields and strike the bronze gates of Castle Town, making it erupt into a dazzling glare of fiery light. Already, the road was thickly trafficked with a mile long progression of travelers, coming and going in throngs innumerable with business of every kind. He would steal across the plain and slip in among them, letting some unaware coach or pack animal be his ride in through the gate, since the guards were acquainted with him and would not like to see him strutting out in the street. From there to the market he would be carried, for it went without saying that the market was almost every immigrant's destination in Castle Town, and then he could snag some bread and cheese and perhaps even a jug of milk if he was lucky. His stomach groaned pitifully at the thought.

He did these things with the efficiency and routine of clockwork, having done them many times before over the course of three years. Before the sun had completely crowned the tops of the trees he was clinging to the underside of an oxen-drawn wagon, clutching his hat to his head and trying not to let his skull knock on the hard, uneven gravel of the highway.

The procession of travelers was a diverse cacophony, rife with the whinny of horses, the bleating of oxen, the clucking of cuccoos, and the murmurs of a thousand voices in as many languages trading gossip and news from the world outside. As Link clung to the wagon, he could catch some spots of conversation of the passersby, and it was impossible not to notice that one piece of news was upon nearly every pair of lips,

"Did you hear- ?"

"Princess Zelda! A traitor to the crown!"

"-heard she tried to kill the king!"

"-only a girl, but they say she has the eyes of a witch-"

"-never would have believed it myself, but they say they caught her in the act-"

"-execution at dawn! Unbelievable. What is this Kingdom coming to where we have to behead our own princess?"

"-Royalty are all the same. Let 'em swing, I say."

Link had seen the princess once, at her father's side on the day of some speech the old king once made. He had been too small then to remember what the speech was about, but he did remember the girl, and he recalled that she looked, to him, like an angel. She was not much older than he, perhaps a year or two. Her skin was pale as alabaster, and seemed to glow with light and warmth. Her golden hair framed her face in tiny ringlets, and her eyes were as blue as five-piece-rupees. She was the very image of innocence.

It didn't follow with him that such a girl could be capable of attempting to kill the king, her own father, whose arm she clung to so dearly in that distant memory. The thought of the castle guards holding her on the chopping block, and the axe coming down on that porcelain neck was incomprehensible to him. It seemed that no one in Hyrule was safe from the growing threat of public execution. Not a day went by when Link didn't feel that terror breathing down his neck, the ever-present anxiety that one day someone might spot the triangle on the back of his hand, or catch him off guard as he pilfered a meal and then –CHOP! In one swing, he'd be erased from the world, without as much as a mother to mourn him.

Of course, that thought led him to wonder what sort of father would send his daughter to the chopping block in the first place. Link knew little of what it was actually like to have a parent, but he had been reasonably certain that parents were supposed to love their children. If it were true what they said, and Zelda had tried to take the life of her father, then he wondered what the reason might be. It seemed beyond reason that someone who appeared so innocent could be the perpetrator of a crime so heinous.

Link was thinking himself in circles, and so enthralled was he with the subject of young Zelda's treachery that he didn't notice the cart passing over the drawbridge and through the city gate. It was the smell of fresh bread baking and cuccoo roasting over glowing coals that first alerted him. His stomach growled urgently at him.

Moments later, the cart came to a stop somewhere in the market square, and Link let himself drop on the cobbles with a dull thud. No one noticed over the din of the market, and the boy rolled out from under the cart and disappeared into the crowded square, his nostrils full of the smell of cooking food, and his ears with the pleasant fanfare of flutes and lyres being played somewhere nearby.

Ribbons of color crisscrossed the open street, stretching from the corners of tents pitched right on the cobbles, their canopies reaching out over wooden troughs filled with fruit, nuts, vegetables, smoked fish, fresh bread, and glazed pastries. Merchants were calling out to passersby to sample whatever they were selling. Here and there, peasant children darted after dogs and cuccoos. Link watched these sneak-thieves, playing at playing, their nimble hands finding the pockets of the unaware and the purses of the oblivious. Shining trinkets, watches, rupees and snuff boxes disappeared as frequently as the odd piece of bread or fruit from the Castle Market. A wise man kept his hands in his pockets when treading the cobbled streets, and he never kept more rupees in his wallet than he absolutely needed.

Link didn't concern himself with money or wealth. He could not work to earn his pay, for the triangle upon his hand labeled him unemployable, and he did not have aspirations to be rich or powerful. Therefore, the boy kept his stealing mostly to food and drink and sometimes clothes, because without these things he could not live. His one weakness in this regard was his love of the clockwork toys a certain clockmaker in the town crafted so lovingly by hand. On occasion he had nabbed one of these, unable to resist their temptation, and so he had a little collection at home of windup cuccoos, deku scrubs, and even a white wolfos, which would stop every few steps in its ticking procession and throw back its head to imitate a howling motion.

Today was not a day for taking toys though. Link turned the other way from the clockmaker's shop, and headed down the row of bright tents where the bakers and dairymen kept their stalls. It had been a long time since his food situation had grown so desperate. The guards in the market had grown savvier and increased their numbers along the aisles that had once been best to shoplift. Even as this thought crossed Link's mind, he became aware of the dark eyes of a guardsman surveying the crowd for undesirables, and he hid himself behind a passing donkey just in time to duck the villainous gaze.

Link gave a sigh, wiping his brow with the back of his hand. He would need to be especially quick about it today. He would grab what he could and get out, not waste a second. He crossed the aisle to the side farthest from the guardsman and began toward a baker's stand he often made his mark, for they did good business and he felt that taking from them did the least harm.

When he reached the stall he checked to make sure no one was watching him and slipped between the canvas tents, wriggling his way under the wooden trough where the bakers stacked their bread. Hidden well in the shadows below the stall, he could see the shins and ankles of people walking on the street and some customers who had stopped to buy some loaves. With expert quickness, Link plucked a roll from the back of the counter, and sat down to munch on it right under the noses of the shop keeper and his patrons. He needed to be fast, but his stomach could not carry him on without something to fill it. While he sat, eating quietly among the forest of passing legs, he listened warily for the sound of approaching guards over the din of the market.

"Three rupees for a loaf! That is highway robbery, sir," the thick accent of a Gerudo woman rose clear above the hubbub of the streets, incredulity dripping off every syllable.

"If you do not like my price go buy your bread elsewhere," replied the shop keeper, unimpressed, "but you won't find it much different. Times are tough and food is scarce, and I must make enough to keep my shop open or there wouldn't be bread for you to barter over."

"Two rupees is a generous sum for hard bread!" cried the Gerudo.

"It'll be three, or you can keep as generous a sum as you like and take your business to another baker," said the shop keeper, "The price is what it is, take it or leave it."

"It's no wonder that even the princess is a criminal in a land where the bakers will rob you at their stalls!" spat the Gerudo, her words dipped in desert venom.

"I don't expect that savages from a kingless land should understand how city economics work," said the shop keeper, growing agitated, "I dare it to be four rupees, one for your insolent tone, and you can get out of my sight!"

There was a shout, and the shrill screech of a Gerudo battle cry. A sword was unsheathed somewhere out of Link's sight, and a great number of the legs on the street went scrambling in every direction.

"Guards!" cried the shop keeper, and Link's heart skipped. He crammed the rest of the bread into his mouth and began to gather himself to run, but all at once and with a terrible crash the trough he was under flipped over on its top. There crouched Link, exposed to the world.

"Hey! Thief!" cried the shop keeper, jabbing an accusing finger out at Link, but to no avail. The Gerudo woman, a tall, dark-skinned warrior clad in the silken kaftan of her people, and wielding a long, curved sword, came rushing at him.

Link somersaulted out of the way just in time, and the woman and the shop keeper went down in a tangled mess. The boy got to his feet and turned around, surveying the situation with desperate confusion. There was a small, semi-circle crowd gathered round the baker's stall, keeping just out of sword's reach but near enough to see the tussle between the Gerudo and the shop keeper.

Link's back was to the wall. His eyes darted around the scene, seeking an escape route, but there was none. The clatter of metal boots on cobbles announced the approach of a troupe of guardsmen, and Link felt the air leave his chest as realization that he couldn't get away sunk in like a knife to the heart. The Gerudo warrior was dusting herself off, standing triumphantly over the shop keeper, who lay unconscious at her feet.

"All hail the Goddess of The Desert!" she cried as she returned her sword to its sheath. She spat on the shop keeper, and her audience gasped in appalled shock.

"What is all this, now?"

A short, round man with a great caterpillar moustache and clanking silver armor came waddling on the scene, followed by a line of similarly dressed individuals of dissimilar girth and stature. It was plain that this was the captain of the Market Guard, and Link knew right away that his number was up.

"You there!" said the Captain, pointing his rapier at the Gerudo woman, "You are hereby under arrest for disturbing the peace and assaulting a citizen of Hyrule Castle Town. Lay down your arms and come quietly!"

"Miserable pig," said the Gerudo woman, turning to face the captain, "You will have some respect when you address an Amirah of the Gerudo."

"Amirah? What sort of nonsense is this?" barked the Captain, "Men, arrest her."

Two of the guards stepped forward at once; swords rose, and bore down on the Gerudo warrior. All at once, the bronze-skinned desert Valkyrie became a whirl of steel, her sword coming out of its sheath faster than Link could track with his eyes. It was a violent motion, yet something about it was fluid, almost like she was dancing, and with the rhythmic pinging of metal on metal she sent the rapiers of her attackers into the dirt. The guards barely had a chance to realize they had been disarmed before the clasps on their armor split at the seams and it came clattering to the cobblestone, leaving them in nothing but their long johns.

"Deplorable. The tiniest Gerudo babe could best a thousand like these the first day she clutched a scimitar!"

"That will be quite enough, Lady Nabooru," the new voice seemed to appear on the wind, creaking and whispery yet somehow coming from all around. A black stallion came striding up, the crowd parting around it, and a murmur and hush of awe followed in its wake.

"The High Wizard!" gasped someone in the crowd.

Astride the black stallion was a man in billowy, purple robes, hemmed with black designs of three triangles connected at their edges to form a larger one. His neck was adorned with innumerable silver and gold chains, set with every sort of gemstone one could find, but one in particular stood out. It was a pendant in the shape of the claw of some great bird, and clutching a translucent orb which glowed inside with arcs of eldritch blue lightning. He wore a black mitre upon his head, a purple feather at its crown, and his eyes were jet black and sunk into the wrinkled sockets of his weathered, pale face. It was the face of an old man, but there was nothing of this about his countenance. No, the old wizard, if old he were, was built like a powerful stack of brick, his shoulders broad and his chest sturdy. He held his head aloft as he rode towards them, glaring down his pointed nose like an emperor regarding the most insignificant of peasantry with scathing hatred.

"Lord High Wizard," said the Gerudo woman, her sword again in its sheath, "I am glad you are here. The peasantry was becoming unruly, and I was growing weary of playing with them."

"Sir!" barked the Captain, saluting to the wizard, "We caught this woman attacking civilian merchants in the street! Are you going to forgive her of such behavior?"

"My dear Captain, I shall forgive you, for your mind is of a lower class and cannot be expected to comprehend fully the situation. This is Lady Nabooru, an emissary of the Gerudo people, and our King's guest. Please, I implore you, let your peasant laws be applied to peasants, and know that where the Amirah walks in our kingdom she shall have the full extent of the King's hospitality and full diplomatic immunity."

"But…"

"Ah, ah, ah, Captain," chided the wizard, waggling his finger condescendingly, "It is unwise to argue with your superiors. Now run along. I shall escort the Lady to the castle myself. She is here to observe the execution of the traitor Zelda, and cannot be detained."

"Well, what about the lad then?"

Suddenly, all eyes were on Link, and the boy remembered himself. Why had he not taken the chance to run away? Something about the scene had mesmerized him, rooted him to the very spot, and now he had missed his opportunity and it was too late to get it back.

"Lad?" said the Wizard, glancing around. His eyes met Link's, and those two black orbs seemed to see straight into the center of the boy's soul, giving him a feeling like ice dripping down his spine. "Nothing but a common thief. He's for the gallows, the edge of the axe is too good for his ilk. Take him away."

Link desperately tried to scream, to kick, to run away, but it was no use. The guards were upon him, all around him, and they were too many and too strong. One seized him around the waist and he bit down hard on the man's arm, making him yelp. Then something heavy came down on the boy's head with a bang and he went out like a light.


	2. Princess of Destiny

Chapter 2.

When Link awoke, he found himself in utter darkness, his head throbbing from the bruise left where the guards had struck him. The floor he lay upon felt like stone: cold, hard and damp. A putrid smell invaded his nostrils, like the rot of decaying flesh, and it took him some effort to keep from vomiting outright.

He sat up in the darkness and began to grope around blindly for anything at all. Crawling on his knees with his hands held out in front of him, Link made it about four feet before grasping the cool metal of jail cell bars. An empty hopelessness rose in his chest, but he chided himself for it. What else had he expected? The guards had finally got him and likely the next time he saw the sun would be his last.

Defiantly, he rose to his feet, and began walking himself along the walls of his cell, creating a perimeter in his mind. It was not a large cell: About eight feet wide by ten feet long, shaped like a rectangle, with one wall of metal bars and three of solid stone. On the barred wall, Link had found a door, secured tight with a lock which felt sturdy and heavy, and had no key hole Link could find. The bars were spaced just enough that Link could thrust his arm between them, but when he reached into the empty darkness all that he could grasp was air.

"Hey! Hey, anyone there?!"

His echo was the only response.

Link dropped back on the hard stone floor, feeling defeated. He had no choice but to sit and wait. The prospect was simultaneously frustrating and horrifying. How could he just lay there, helpless, and wait to be killed? His mind was racing desperately for some un-thought of course of action, some alternative to waiting calmly for his own death. He paced back and forth, pulled vainly at the bars, pried his fingers in the cracks between the stones, but nothing did any good. Finally, he let out a hoarse and pitiful scream, somewhere between rage and heartbreak, and collapsed to the floor once more.

For a long while he lay in the darkness, listening to his own ragged breaths, thin streams of tears rolling silently down the sides of his face. It wasn't fair. He had never wanted to die alone in such a miserable place. His only crime was feeding himself, something he had no choice about if he didn't want to die. In the end, it all amounted to the same thing anyway. How cruel could life be to a mere boy?

He couldn't tell if it had been minutes or hours, but suddenly a sound broke the deep, dark silence. There was a metallic scraping; the clink of tumblers locking into place, and the unmistakable whine of un-oiled metal hinges swinging open.

"Who's there?"

Link sat up and peered into the darkness, but the pitch was absolute, and he couldn't see his own hands let alone anyone who might be coming into his cell. He waited expectantly, his heart racing, images of stalking, nightmare creatures swirling in the blackness all around him. Several minutes passed, and though he drew up all his courage to face the very worst, something Link did not expect happened… nothing at all.

Fed up with the monotony of waiting, Link got to his feet and stumbled through the darkness with his hands held out in front of him like a re-dead groping for an unseen victim. He caught the bars of his cell, and going hand over hand, sidled along them as if they were a ladder, until he came to the place the door should have been.

Link fell forward into the darkness. The cell door was not there! He scraped his knee a bit as he hit the floor, but he didn't care. He was out! Someone or something had let him out! He had no clue where he was or how to find his way back to the outside, but anything beat being stuck in that miserable cell waiting for his own doom. He got back to his feet and began to probe the darkness with his zombie-stretched arms, feeling his way along the walls like a blind man.

He seemed to be in a hallway, about five feet across. Directly across from his cell was another solid stone wall, but to the left and right the darkness gaped on for indeterminate distances. He would have to simply pick at random. Link recalled hearing somewhere that caves and dungeons had a kind of breath to them, a way to keep the air fresh and pure. The rule was, as he recalled it, if the interior of the cave was cooler than the air outside, the change in temperature would force air to flow out of the cave. Link felt the moisture soaked into his tunic and the chill of the sunless dungeon and decided that, even if it were night outside, the summer air of Hyrule Castle Town must be warmer than the air in his dark prison. He licked the tip of his finger and stuck it up into the air like a weathervane.

The faintest of breezes touched his hand, and he felt reasonably certain that it was flowing down the right hand passage. It was as good a plan as any. Renewed hope burning bright within his youthful heart, he furrowed his brow and trudged bravely into the unknown darkness.

It was a long and anxious journey through the blind dungeon; his only ally his sense of touch, and his mind finding fantastic horrors to replace the all-consuming silence. Had he imagined the skittering of a rat across the ground? Was that someone else's breathing, or his own? He feared he might go mad before he ever found an exit. Sometimes the path would turn ninety degrees, and sometimes he'd come to places where the maze of darkness split off in four directions, and he'd have to lick his finger and hope he'd remembered right the old Goron trick of breathing caves. Occasionally, the stones in the floor were skewed or damaged, and his foot would catch one wrong and he would fall painfully on the unforgiving ground. Link was a determined boy though, and, despite being bruised and battered and tired and cold and hungry, he kept on. It might have been hours of stumbling through that bleak darkness, but finally he came to a place where in the distance the light of some remote flame flickered.

At first he was sure it was just a trick of the shadows, a mere hallucination to accompany the horrible imagined sounds which had plagued him, but as he neared it something in the way the fire danced made it seem real. He quickened his pace, fighting the urge to laugh with joy at the sight of warmth and light for fear of giving himself away to anyone who might be near enough to hear him. Eventually, the fire was bright enough that he could see the blue-gray stones of cyclopean architecture which comprised the walls and low ceiling of the dreary dungeon, and he could see the iron brazier that held his beacon of salvation, the winking flame of an oil fire. He slackened in his pace again, and took in the dreary sight of the dungeon walls with the appreciation of one who has been blind and by some miracle can see again.

Then, a new sound came to him, and he had to stop and listen hard to make sure that his ears were not deceiving him once more.

There was the definite sound of whimpering, like some child crying further down the hall. The sobs were slight, and pitiful, the heartsick sound of youthful despair. He fancied the tone of the sobs sounded feminine, and something about their absolute sadness made him soften in his wariness of unseen listeners in the dark. Entranced by the melancholy of youthful tears, Link went stepping slowly into the lighted room which contained the brazier and its welcoming flame.

This was a larger room, its ceiling several feet higher than the hall, and in it were several objects which seemed out-of-place in such a dungeon. A table of hand carved deku wood, luxurious and well varnished, and paired with a finely crafted chair with velveteen cushion sat nearby the brazier, looking like they had been freshly dragged from the office of some factory owner in Castle Town. Upon the table was a large, leather-bound book and raven quill pen resting in an ink well. Beyond the table, a massive iron statue dominated the center of the room, shaped like a pyramid made of three triangles, one stacked atop the other two. At the base of the statue, huddled into a fetal ball on the cold stone floor, a girl in a satin pink dress was sobbing into her own braided blond hair.

Link approached her carefully, watching in awe as the girl went on sobbing. He knew right away, there could be no mistake about it; this was the princess Zelda who awaited her execution the coming morning.

Link was so caught up in the sight of beauty and sorrow before him, he did not notice the chink in the stone floor, and he stumbled noisily, knocking the wooden table with his knee and causing pain to shoot up from that spot into his leg.

"Ow, ow, ow!"

The princess ceased her crying with a gasp, her attention snapping up to Link, her deep blue eyes meeting his almost at once.

"Who are you?"

"Uh…" Link was still shaking the pain off of his knee as he struggled for an answer, "Uh… I'm Link. I'm a prisoner… I was a prisoner… the guards brought me here. I'm looking for a way out."

"How did you get out of your cell?"

"I… um… don't really know?" said the boy, realizing how stupid he must sound, "The door just kind of… opened. It was dark, so I couldn't see if anyone did it. Were you crying?"

"No!" snapped the princess, "I was not crying. I just… its awful… Nyarlath, the High Wizard, has me trapped here. He put a curse on my father and holds him in his chambers in a deep and unnatural sleep. He framed me for this crime, and will have me put to death when the sun rises if I cannot escape. He seeks to usurp the throne from my father, and kill me to ensure that none but he have a claim to the throne. Nyarlath must not be allowed to control Hyrule!"

"So it is you then. Princess Zelda?"

"Of course that is me! Who else would I be?" said Zelda. Then her eyes welled up with tears again, and she hid her face to keep Link from seeing her cry, "Anyway, it is hopeless now. There is no escaping Nyarlath, and with his rise to the throne any hope of a peaceful Hyrule is lost."

"There must be something we can do," said Link, taking a few cautious steps closer, "I knew it couldn't be true that you tried to kill your father. I won't just leave you here! I'll set you free!"

"You believe me?" said Zelda, the edge in her voice softening, "That is very kind, but there is no way that you can save me. I am chained here, and unless you have the key or some other means of breaking locks there is little you can do. It would be best for you to find a way out, get as far away from Hyrule as possible, and save yourself. Dark times are coming to this land."

"No way! I can't just abandon you. You've done nothing wrong, you don't deserve to die!" Link went to her and took her hand in his. There were chains tied around her ankles, securing her to the massive statue. The princess looked him in the eye, and he could see her fighting every moment to keep from breaking down in tears.

"You are very brave, but you must listen to me," said Zelda, shakily, "You cannot possibly stand against Nyarlath. You must leave me behind, or you will die too, and I will have that guilt to take with me to the chopping block as well."

"I don't care about that filthy old warlock! I'm getting you out of here. Wait right there, I'll go find something to break your chains!" Link released the girl's hand and turned to go find something to set her free, but he collided straight into something big and sturdy, and fell hard on his backside on the stone floor.

"Filthy old warlock, is it?" the High Wizard towered over the boy, his presence even more menacing by the flicker of the torchlight than it had been in the brazen daylight of the Castle Market. His black eyes glowed eldritch purple in the firelight, and the gems on his neck gleamed like the eyes of demons as they cast the flicker of the flame about the room. "Insolent little street rat. I knew you had the look of trouble about you. I should have killed you on the spot."

The Wizard raised his hand, palm held out flat, and the tips of his fingers began to seethe with daemonic purple light. Link gasped in horror as the dark magic went flowing into him. Zelda screamed helplessly for Nyarlath to leave him be, but the bolt of evil sorcery struck the boy full in the face, and sent him into a lifeless heap at Zelda's feet.

"No! No! You scoundrel! You evil murderer! You shall never get away with this!"

He chuckled at her mockingly, "You must see it, young princess. I have already gotten away with it. Your father is my puppet now, and your throne is within my grasp. In mere hours you will die, and with you goes the whole insipid line of your pathetic family. Don't worry though; Hyrule is quite safe in my care."

"You are a monster!"

"My fair princess, you have no idea."

"Lord Nyarlath, sir!" a pig-like creature, dressed in the armor of a castle guard, and toting a massive spear, came clomping into the room with panic on his porcine face. "Sir! The castle is under siege by some sort of pirates. You are needed at once to command the defense forces."

"What sort of mockery is this? None can stand against the might of this castle! I will have their heads alongside these two vile children in the morning. Come with me!"

The two sinister figures went sweeping out of the dungeon, Nyarlath's purple cloak billowing devilishly behind him, like the cape of some stalking vampire. A moment later, Zelda was alone in the silence, with nothing but the fallen form of Link at her knee.

She rolled the boy on his back, and propped him up with his head in her lap, her silken-gloved hand caressing his cherubic face. Leaning close to him, she could feel his warm and shallow breath upon her cheek, and sighed with relief to see he was alive. However, there was little to celebrate. The furrow of his brow, and fitful twitching of his eyes beneath their lids was familiar to her, and she quickly recognized the same sleeping curse which had been laid upon her father only days before.

"Poor, brave, stupid boy!" cried Zelda, rocking Link gently in her arms, "Why didn't you listen to me? How many people have to die? Father! It's not fair!"

She sank down on him, burying her face in his chest and caving into breathless sobs. She hugged him, felt his heart beating faintly against her, and drowned herself in the sorrow.

"Psst!"

Zelda perked up at the sound, glancing all around her for its source, but no one seemed to be there.

"Who is it?"

"Shhhh!"

A hand came to rest upon her shoulder, and she squeaked with fright, but another hand clasped itself over her mouth to muffle her scream. From atop the iron statue, three figures came creeping, half crawling on their hands, and so silent was their step that it seemed to make no sound at all. Each of the newcomers was lithe and tall, and shrouded in a crimson, skin-tight garb, wrapped at the hands and ankles with white gauze. Their heads were wrapped around in the same way, covering their mouths and hair, and all Zelda could see of them were their dark eyes twinkling in the firelight.

"It's her alright. Kef, head up and let the captain know we're on our way. We'll need to get out of here in a hurry."

One of the trio gave a nod of acknowledgement before darting silently off into the darkness. The one who had spoken the order, the one who held Zelda's mouth to stifle her scream, leaned in close by her ear and whispered.

"Princess, we are here to protect you, but you must be silent and do exactly as I say. I'm going to take my hand off your mouth now, and you must be very silent so that we don't attract more Moblins."

Zelda nodded. The hand left her mouth, and the mysterious figure stood up.

"Ok, Zig, the chains."

"Right."

The third of her rescuers knelt at her side, and with a metallic click a kind of skinny blade came sliding out from some hidden compartment at the wrist. The unknown jail-breaker inserted the tip of the blade into the lock of Zelda's shackles and twisted it. A second metal clicking announced the princess's release, and Zelda immediately began to rub her ankle, which had become itchy and sore from the tightness of her bonds.

"Thank you!"

"The least we could do, Princess," said the leader, "Now don't say a word until we're back on the surface. Zig, carry her, we can't afford to have anyone hearing us leave."

The one called Zig grabbed her unceremoniously around the waist and hefted her on his shoulder. Despite his slender form, the masked rescuer was deceptively strong, and raised her into the air as if she weighed no more than a feather. Immediately they made to leave, but Zelda saw Link still lying on the stone floor, sound asleep.

"Wait!"

"Tssst!" hissed the leader, "Princess, I really wanna help you here, I really do, but if you get us caught yelling like that then we're all dead meat. What is your problem?"

"That boy there- he tried to help me! I can't leave him. If you mean to take me away from this dungeon, you must bring that boy with me," said Zelda.

"No can do, Princess," said the leader, "We've got enough on our hands dragging you around, I don't even wanna think about how it's gonna be tryin' a sneak out of here with two pint-sized paper weights to carry."

"I will not leave without that boy!"

"I'm sorry, princess, but you don't have a choice," the masked leader replied, "Come on, Zig, we gotta move."

"I will scream!"

"Augh!" sighed the leader, "You really care so much about this little green beggar that you're willing to let us all die?"

The twinkling, dark eyes of the jail-breaker met Zelda's sprightly blue, and for a moment they held each other's gaze. Finally, the masked figure threw its arms up in defeat, and said, "Ok, fine. Just fine. Let's just save every damn body. Jeeze! Sometimes I wonder why I'm so nice. You owe me, princess."

The leader went dashing back, hefted Link on their back, and came back down the hall on silent feet.

"Oh, thank you!" cried Zelda.

"You can thank me by keeping your mouth shut. Now let's move!"

They went quickly and quietly down the hall into the silent darkness of the Castle dungeon, Link and Zelda carried along on the shoulders of their rescuers to adventures strange and unforeseen, and against her better instinct Zelda felt a flicker of hope kindling in her weary heart.


	3. Like a Falling Moon

Chapter 3.

As they climbed flight after flight of stone steps, higher and higher out of the subterranean depths of the Castle Dungeon, Zelda could hear the sounds of distant thundering, and see the walls tremble with the force of impact.

"What's going on up there?" she whispered to Zig, the masked pirate who carried her.

"Captains giving 'em hell, I expect," said the pirate, "That can't last forever though. We need to get up to the ship as fast as we can and get you out of here."

"Ship? There's no ocean near the castle."

"Not that kind of ship," replied Zig, mysteriously. Before Zelda could enquire what he meant by that Zig's unnamed superior cut them off with a sharp hiss. The senior pirate had come to a sudden halt on the landing of the next flight of stairs.

"You hear that?" said the leader, "Damn! Moblins! They're not far off. You'll have to take the boy too and go on ahead. I'll catch up."

Zig took the boy from the other pirate and slung him over his free shoulder. The skinny pirate seemed completely unaffected by the added weight. Up the stairs they went, two at a time, in an urgent sprint. Zelda had just enough time to see a group of pig-like guardsmen come rushing on to the flight of stairs, surrounding the pirate, before they disappeared around the corner and up the next flight.

"Will he be alright?"

"Who, Gwen?" replied Zig, "Oh yeah, I wouldn't worry about her. She can handle herself pretty well."

"That is a girl?"

Moments later, they were racing through the halls of the castle cellar, and Zelda knew they were only a few floors away from the ground level. Here there were more people, cooks and servants and other laborers running about, trying desperately to gather whatever little belongings they might have and scrambling for places to hide from the apparent conflict upstairs. A thundering boom rose about the place, and the walls trembled, sending dust down from the old stones of the ceiling.

"What is that awful sound?" whimpered Zelda.

"Cannon fire, princess," said Zig, "It was the only way we could distract that old Wizard long enough to get you out of here."

"Oh my!" gasped Zelda, "Your efforts are truly daring. I am in your debt!"

"Don't get all sentimental on me, princess, we're not in the clear just yet."

They continued through the kitchen and the scullery, bounding up the spiral staircase and through the open trap door into the halls of the ground level of the castle. Tapestries and suits of armor went flying past as they cleared the side halls and made their way towards the main entrance.

"We're going out the front gate?"

"That's the plan," said Zig, "They'll be watching all the back entrances, and Nyarlath's sure to be up in the tower putting on a show. There will be guards, but when it comes down to it no one will suspect that we're crazy enough to just waltz out the front."

"That's mad!"

"Wait till you meet the captain, and then you won't feel so surprised about that."

Through one more arched doorway, and the great hall gaped around them. They came through an open double door underneath the great marble staircase of the entry hall. Hylian guards were everywhere, and one of them saw Zig coming in. The guard raised his spear and pointed, shouting, "He has the princess! Get him!"

"Okay, Zelda, I've got to put you down for a second, so stay close and don't get caught!"

Zig set the princess down and shifted Link into a more comfortable carrying position. They boy's head bobbed deadly with the motion. Zig's right arm was free now, and with a flick of his wrist a long, triangular blade went shooting from his sleeve. The guards descended on him like a swarm of locusts, but the pirate was ready for them, and he danced around their clumsy spears with ease. There was a flash as he struck out with his blade, snapping spears and rending guard after guard unconscious, though it was apparent that he could have ended their lives just as easily.

Zelda gasped in wonder at the perilous scene, trying her best to stay at Zig's heals, and away from the encroaching guards. One of them came sprinting at her, and she screamed, but Zig was there in an instant, and he brought his blade like a cudgel down on the guard's helmeted head, knocking him out.

"Make for the gate, Princess!"

The two of them, Link still slung over Zig's arm, went sprinting out of the castle as fast as their legs could carry them. In all the commotion, the guard had not yet been able to seal the gate, and it stood ajar just enough for them to squeeze through.

Outside, the walls of the castle were ablaze, and hundreds of screaming figures scurried back and forth like the silhouettes of ghosts drifting through the smoke and flame of a hundred structure fires. Archers and ballista lined the bridge leading from the main courtyard to the castle gate, firing bolts of tremendous size at some phantom foe out in the misty, smoke-filled sky.

"What now?"

"Look!"

A behemoth object, like a great falling moon came down through the smoky sky, and at first Zelda thought they would be crushed. The humongous thing did not flatten them, though, but hovered over them with the gentle, floating quality of a helium balloon. The thing was huge and round, made of wood with massive iron straps and bolted studs. A droning hum accompanied it, and wind poured off it in gale force.

Zig came rushing past, grabbing Zelda's arm and dragging her further under the thing. There was a trio of explosions- Boom! Ba-Boom! –and fountains of flame like dragon's fire came spewing from iron tubes at the crown of the massive thing. The cannons decimated the Castle gate, collapsing the great wood and iron doors into a cloud of rubble and dust. For a flash, the fire lit up the sky, and Zelda saw that it was something like a sailing ship that hovered over her, impossibly, in the midnight sky.

As Zig dragged her beneath the wondrous enormity of the flying ship, a hatch on the underside popped open, and a ladder made of ropes came lulling down like a great brown tongue.

"Climb!" cried Zig, pushing Zelda forward. The ladder swung treacherously in the wind, but the princess gripped the ropes hard and began to climb as fast as she could, hand over hand.

Zig was just behind her, climbing expertly despite the handicap of Link on his left arm. Zelda glanced back at them, and saw by the light of the fires that the boy was still there. They were almost home free! It would be a dream come true to get away from Nyarlath and know that she had saved the brave boy who had tried to help her.

Boom! Ba-boom! Boom!

The cannons thundered at the sky again, and the ship shook violently. The rope ladder twisted and swayed, and then lashed like a whip in the torrent of wind. Zig's footing slipped, and his grip on the boy was lost. Link went plummeting twenty feet towards the hard ground.

"No!" cried Zelda.

Yet all was not lost! Out of the cloud of debris that had showered down in the cannon's wake a single lithe figure came sprinting, the tatters of the gauze wrap on its wrist trailing like streamers as it ran. Gwen caught Link just before he would have hit the ground.

Zelda and Zig let out a cheer as the pirate caught the boy. Gwen drew a cylindrical device from some hidden spot and pointed it into the sky. A little arrowhead with hooked edges fired out the end of it, and it brought with it a long chain of shiny metal, which burrowed into the hull of the flying ship. A moment later, the chain was contracting, pulling the pirate and her burden up into the air.

"You owe me big time, Princess!" shouted Gwen as the hookshot pulled her past. All Zelda could do was laugh and shed a tear of joy at the sheer relief. She and Zig climbed the rest of the ladder, and moments later someone was pulling them inside the hull of the massive airship.

"Alright, everybody on board?" shouted Gwen, passing Link off to another pirate, who disappeared down the narrow, wooden hall. "Good. Inform the captain. We can make our escape!"

The pirate pulled the wrappings away from her face, shaking out a mane of jet black hair. Zelda finally got a look at the face of her rescuer. Gwen was pale, almost ghostly white, with eyes of deep brown and a slender pink scar running the length of her right cheek. Confidently, she strode through the crowd of pirates, who were rushing about fiddling with barrels, tweaking complicated looking knobs and levers, and mending pipework where holes were letting jets of searing steam into the air.

"First Officer," said one of the pirates, addressing Gwen, "We have sustained minor damage to the hull and the starboard turbine, but she's still sky worthy. The captain requests your immediate presence on the bridge."

"Aye!" replied Gwen, "See to it that the princess is kept safe in the captain's quarters, and don't let her out for any reason until we're clear of Hyrule Castle. We just might be in the clear, boys!"

A general cheer went up among the raucous pirates and the one to which Gwen had been speaking took Zelda by the hand and led her off deeper into the airship's bowels.


	4. The Clockwork Dragon

Chapter 4

He was falling again, tumbling through wispy clouds and cerulean oblivion to the bottomless pit of fear that nightly came to devour him. This time something was different though.

He could still see her, clear as if he were awake, the Princess Zelda, chained in a deep dungeon somewhere, bleak and cold and alone. He screamed at the rushing sky, kicking and swinging his arms in hateful desperation. How could he have left her like that? Exhausting his fury to the uncaring wind, he screamed till he could scream no more, but did not awaken.

After a few moments, he began to realize just how strange his nightmare had become.

For one thing, the usual confusion of dreamscapes did not have any hold over him, and he could rotate freely in the open sky as he plummeted on towards nothing. Slowly, the fear was leaving him, and he began to wonder how he could be so lucid whilst so obviously asleep.

There was another curious occurrence: He knew that he was in a dream. This had not been the case the countless other times he had fallen through the sky. What could it mean?

"Are you quite done screaming, boy?"

A voice was in his ear. The warm and wisdom-filled voice of an elderly woman by the sound of it. He looked all around, but he was alone in the empty sky.

"Who's there?!" cried Link.

"No need to shout, kid," replied the voice, quite calmly, and Link noticed that the whistle of the wind did nothing to stifle it, "I can hear you just fine even if you whisper, so don't go screaming your head off again!"

"Who are you?"

"I," said the voice, "Am a friend, and someone who wants to help you and your pretty little princess too. Now how's that for a good deal?"

"Great! You can start by getting me out of here!"

"Oh, please," laughed the voice, "You don't need my help for that. What sort of boy are you? This is a dream, kid. All you have to do if you don't want to fall anymore is _think_ about it."

"What do you mean?"

"Simple," said the voice, "You're in the sky, right? So why don't you think about something with wings."

"Ok…"

Link closed his eyes and concentrated on anything he could think of with wings: paper gliders, faeries, cuccoos…

All at once there was the violent sound of flapping and squawking. Links eyes snapped open. He was no longer plummeting alone. A whole brood of cuccoos were plummeting alongside him, their wings flapping desperately, and their startled crowing invading his ears. Some of them flapped towards him as fast as they could, clawing and pecking for a footing to brace them from the terrifying fall.

"Woah there!" said the motherly voice, "Okay now, you're not thinking with your whole brain! Try something _bigger_."

"Oh!" said Link, beating a cuccoo away from his face. "Ok, got it!"

He closed his eyes once more, and thought of the old clockmaker in Hyrule castle town. In the window of his shop was one prize far too large for Link to carry home in his pockets, but he had always wanted it since he was a small boy: a great clockwork dragon, the size of a pony! It had a huge windup key on its back, and when you twisted it sparks would come flickering out the mouth. Sometimes, he imagined riding it up into the sky, its sleek canvas wings carrying him up to the high peaks of the castle's loftiest towers, till he could crown the very smokestacks of the factories, and break through the mushrooming soot clouds to the glorious sky above. All at once, Link felt something underneath him, and the falling sensation gently went away. He opened his eyes, and there he sat upon the massive clockwork dragon, but it was not a toy anymore. Its canvas wings beat steadfast against the boundless sky, and up, up he soared!

"Woah!" cheered Link, "This is fantastic! Woo-hoo!"

He gripped the shoulders of the dragon's wings and found that, by leaning left or right, he could steer the thing. He dipped left and right, rolled over and dove up and down through the sky. The terror he had once felt in the empty blue void had gone entirely, and his heart filled with joy as he rode the clockwork dragon at breakneck speed.

"Ok, sonny, ok! You seem to have the hang of it now. I would have tried an airship, myself, but to each his own," chortled the motherly voice, quite pleasantly, "Now that you're done falling from the sky, you and I have some business to attend to. I'll need you to meet up with me as fast as you can. There's not a moment to lose if I'm to tell you everything before those idiots take Zelda to the Temple of Life."

"The Temple of Life?"

"Aye, it's one of the Seven Temples of the Sages, but we'll cover all that in just a minute. First thing's first, you fly that little windup dragon over here and we'll suss out how to break the curse you're under."

"Curse?!"

"Oh, aye," said the voice, "Forgot to mention it, did I? Well, I suppose you didn't think it was normal, acting like you're awake when you're asleep, did you? No, that Nyarlath put a curse on you something fierce. That's okay though, between you and me I'm fifty times the magician that snot nosed little so and so will ever be. Just get your butt over here, and we'll fix you right up!"

"But," said Link, glancing around at the empty sky, "Where _are _you?"

"Skyloft, o'course! Just keep flying, you can't miss it!"

The clockwork dragon beat its wings and Link rode it on into the cerulean horizon, unsure what else to do. The mysterious voice seemed friendly enough, and she had been right about imagining the dragon, so he supposed he should go ahead and do what she said. After a moment Link began to think she must have been crazy, because he flew on and on but there was nothing that looked like it would be called "Skyloft" anywhere in sight. Just as he was about to complain, something in the distance caught his eye. He gasped in wonder. If his eyes weren't deceiving him, a huge mound of earth, crowned with grass and forest trees was hovering, like an island in the sky.

The dragon carried him to it, its canvas wings drawing him high up over the mass of land, and circling the island so that he could survey it better. The ruins of ancient buildings poked out from the foliage and little birds were playing among the leaves. There was no sign of any people at all, and from what Link could see it looked as though Skyloft had not had visitors in a very long time.

"Go on then, just bring her down any old place. I'm in the little round building near the center of the island. Should be simple enough to find."

Link brought the dragon in low, and found that all he had to do was think about it and the thing set down like a living creature, its powerful wings slowing its decent, and it landed as lightly as a feather. Link jumped off its back, happy to once again have solid ground beneath his feet. The clockwork dragon reared its head, and joyfully shot sparks up at the sky. Link laughed a bit, patting the thing on the nose lovingly. It almost seemed to smile dumbly at him with its square-ish copper jaw before curling up like a sleeping dog with its tail wrapped around its snout.

"Good boy!" said Link.

Then, he turned around to regard the lonely, floating island with renewed interest. There were streets of cobbled stone like those of the Castle Town, although the vegetation had overgrown them. In many places the cobbles were turned over or missing entirely. Tree roots grew indiscriminately over the path, and brightly colored flowers lined the walkway, growing wildly without boundaries or the symmetry of Hylian gardening.

Cautiously, the boy began along the trail, hesitant to leave behind the safety the clockwork dragon brought him. It was hard to be afraid though, seeing the cheerful little birds with their rainbow plumes hopping here and there across the cobbles. They did not seem afraid of him at all, quite unlike the birds of the faery woods that were wise to hunters and avoided all Hylians whenever they could.

The pathway went around a bend and led down a little street which looked to Link like it had once been lined with houses, but the buildings were in a very advanced state of decay. Nature had taken back its real estate in the absence of civilization, and in some places trees grew right up through the roofs of abandoned buildings.

Link went on, regarding the strange place with cheerful fascination. Something about the way the plants grew over the empty houses made him smile, as though it were an omen that even the most poisonous of Hylian achievements of technology and industry were destined to one day be swept away by the timeless force of nature, a mere momentary blemish on the face of a serene and absolute beauty which was inherent in the very soul of the living world.

Farther down the path, a round building rose up from the overgrowth, and it looked as though it may have been two stories tall once, although the upper had apparently collapsed quite some time ago. Thinking that this must be the building the voice had told him to go to, he headed that direction at a leisurely trot.

The doorway was crumbling so much that one might have mistaken it for an unintentional hole in the wall. Link peered into the shadowy opening. The chirping of birds somewhere nearby and rustle of leaves in the wind were the only sounds. Inside the structure, he could see shafts of dim sunlight finding their way through the cracks in the ceiling overhead.

"Hello?"

"Come in, boy," replied the motherly voice.

Link obeyed, stepping carefully over the piles of fallen debris. There were no signs of the people who had once lived in this place. The paint on the walls and the wood of the doors and cabinets that might have once stood there had long since crumbled away to dust with the wear of centuries. The floor inside the building was a carpet of moss and clover, and little puddles of water pooled in the lower spots. Link's boots squished wetly as he stepped across them.

Ahead of him, in the gentle light filtering through the roof, a woman was sitting cross-legged on a big straw nest, like a giant roosting bird. Her hands were held out, palms flat, elbows resting on her knees, and her eyes shut in stoic meditation.

"Hello, young one," said she, and her voice was the same motherly one which had guided Link to that place, "It is truly an honor to finally meet you."

"An honor?" said Link, taking a few steps closer, "I'm nothing special. I'm just a beggar from the forest."

"You sell yourself short," replied the woman, "You do not realize your own potential. You are destined for great things, Link. There's much resting on your shoulders, and in time you will realize what power you possess, and learn to wield it with wisdom and courage."

The woman was very old. Her wrinkled and leathery skin was dark and red-brown like cinnamon. Her hair was white and braided and so long it had to be wrapped around her forehead and rolled into a little dangling yarn-sized ball. It swung at her side, with the hypnotic quality of a pendulum. She wore a tall hat, crimson, and rising to a high point some feet over her head and so long on the bottom that it draped around her shoulders like a cape. Her eyes, which Link had at first supposed closed, were actually hidden somewhere underneath that wrap of braided hair.

"Who are you?" asked Link.

"I am Impa," replied the woman, "I was not always Impa, but I am now. For every matriarch of the Shiekah carries that name. We Shiekah were the protectors of Hyrule's royal family long ago, but a great shame fell upon our line, and we were forced into exile. Never have we stopped watching from the distance, though. Never did we abandon the pact we swore so many ages ago to guard that which is sacred in the realm of Hyrule."

"Protect the royal family…" suddenly, Link remembered Zelda, all alone in the deep dungeon below Hyrule castle, or maybe already killed by evil Nyarlath. "Oh no! The Princess! Please, Impa, you must do something to help her!"

"Fear not, boy," said the old woman, "Your Zelda is safe. The Shiekah clan of the Waking World has saved her, and yourself, from Nyarlath's grasp for now."

"She's safe? That's great! But what do you mean they saved us? I don't remember anything."

"It was after you were cursed. The last of my people saved you and Zelda and brought you aboard their airship, and now they mean to take Zelda to the Temple of Life and fulfill the prophecy of the Seven Sages. A good plan, but they are missing a vital piece of the puzzle. That's where you come in, Link."

"What can I do?"

"This world you see around you is the Dreamworld, another plane of existence which lies close by to the Waking World which you know. Every living creature has two lives, lives which are lived separately and unaware of one another, one awake and one here in the land of sleep. You, Link, have been chosen by fate to be the bridge between the Dreamworld and the Waking World. Appropriately enough, a literal 'link' between the two realms."

"What has that got to do with saving Zelda?"

"There is a sacred treasure, something very secret and dear to the Royal Family, and only it contains the power to stop Nyarlath's plans. Long ago it was prophesized that this treasure would be taken, and corrupted by the force of evil if nothing was done to protect it. It was then that the Sages decided that the treasure should be broken apart into seven pieces, and each piece placed in one of the Temples of the Sages for safekeeping. The Shiekah of the Waking World are taking you and Zelda to the Temple of Life as we speak, in hopes of finding the first piece of the treasure there, but there is a part of the legend that they do not know: The Sages did not only hide the treasure in the Temples, they also hid the treasure in another world entirely. That world is none other than this realm, the Dreamworld of Hyrule."

"I don't understand," said Link, scratching his head, "How can the treasure be in both the Waking World and the Dreamworld at the same time?"

"Good question. You are a clever boy, when you apply yourself," said the old woman, with a pleasant smile, "Many places in the Waking World have their approximation here in the Dreamworld, although, as you have seen, the Dreamworld is not connected in so straightforward a manner to itself as the Waking World is. One cannot simply walk from temple to temple in one's dreams. This is why the Sages chose to hide the treasure in the Dreamworld counterparts of their sacred temples, for only one who wields mighty magic can safely tread between the two realms and go where they choose. One such as yourself, who is trapped in the Dreamworld by a curse, can go where they whither in dreams, but cannot return to the Waking World. However, with the proper magic item, it is possible to control when and where you enter this land of sleep."

"What item is this? Where can it be found?"

"There are two Sleepstones known to exist in the land of Hyrule. One is owned by Nyarlath, the treacherous High Wizard who seeks to destroy all goodness in our world and the Dreamworld alike. Perhaps you have seen it? A glowing blue orb, clutched in the silver claw of a giant bird?"

Link's mind raced back to the time he had seen Nyarlath in the Castle Market, and the glowing eldritch pendant of his largest silver necklace.

"I have seen it! He wears it around his neck," said Link, "But if Nyarlath has one of the Sleepstones can't he go to the temples himself and steal the treasure? What if he gets there first?"

"Ah, now I see that you are catching on to the urgency of the situation, and why it must be you who stops the evil wizard," said Impa. Then the lines in her face grew quite grim and serious, and she leaned in closer to Link, "You must take the other Sleepstone, and you must retrieve the treasure from the Temple of Life before Nyarlath can beat you to it. It will be very dangerous and I cannot guarantee that you will survive. Do you accept this burden, young one?"

"Of course! Anything if it'll save Zelda," replied Link, without hesitation, "Where can I find the Sleepstone? How can I get back to the Waking World?"

The old woman smiled wryly, chuckling softly, and causing her pointed hat to shake merrily about.

"A hero through and through. Truly the Goddess does not bestow her faith upon the unworthy," said Impa, "I have the Sleepstone here."

She reached one withered hand into her sleeve and produced a glowing blue orb, exactly the replica of the one on Nyarlath's necklace, minus the clutching silver talons. Carefully, she passed the thing to Link, who took it in his palms and held it up in front of his face, examining the interior of the orb with interest. Inside the crystal ball, magic lightning danced like a living storm, shooting across the diameter of the sphere in brilliant arcs of electric blue.

"Simply speak the word 'awaken' and you will wake up in the Waking World. If you wish to come back to the Dreamworld, simply hold the orb in your hands and speak the word 'slumber'. Only those with the blood of the chosen can make the orb work, so to anyone else it will be useless. You must be the one to undertake this task, so no cheating and passing it off to one of those Shiekah pirates, ok?"

"I understand," said Link, "But there is one thing: If the Sleepstone is here in the Dreamworld, then how can I use it when I'm awake?"

"The Sleepstones are different than normal objects. Their duality between the Dream and Waking Worlds is more blurred, and they exist almost completely simultaneously in either realm. When you wake up, you will find the Sleepstone quite comfortably stowed away in your own pocket, I expect."

"Thank you, Impa," Said Link, and he threw his arms around the old woman and hugged her tight, "If this helps me save Zelda then I can never thank you enough!"

"Uh… yes, well…" she gave him a pat on the back, "You are welcome, of course. Tell me something before you go though, Link. You only just met Princess Zelda. Why is it so important to you that you should risk your own life to save her?"

"Well," said Link, taking a moment to mull over the question, "Who else will? I can't just let her be killed by Nyarlath. It isn't right."

"You are a good boy, Link," said Impa, smiling widely so that her wrinkled face looked even more scrunched together than before, "Now go, child. Go back to Zelda! Retrieve the pieces, reunite the treasure, and save our land of Hyrule!"

Link nodded, a smile upon his face and a gleam in his shining blue eyes. He lifted the stone and prepared to say the word and bring himself back to the Waking World.

"Oh, and Link," said Impa, causing the boy to pause, "Let's keep all of this between you and me for the time being. The Shiekah of the waking world may not understand, and we can't afford to jeopardize our success by giving them the opportunity to second guess. Follow their lead for now. When the time is right to use the stone you will know it."

"Alright," said Link, "Awaken!"


	5. The Crimson Stalfos

Chapter 5

The sun rose brilliantly over the clouds, casting golden lights across the heavens. Sea gulls dipped in and out from the marshmallow puffs of water vapor, cawing at the daybreak. They were scrambling away from some large object, which was cutting through the clouds like a sword through a tuft of grass. Suddenly, the airship came bursting through the veil, its crimson banners flapping in the wind like giant streamers, and on each of them was the Shiekah symbol of the Lens of Truth: an eye, browed by three triangles, and crying a single tear.

The whirling propellers of the airship carved a steady path through the sky, and the ship came rising higher and higher towards the sun on the two powerful turbines which flanked either side of the boat-shaped vessel. Smoke trailed from one of the turbines, and holes dotted the ship like patchwork, but she still churned on mightily through the air. A trio of crimson sails, likewise bearing the Shiekah symbol, brought to full mast, catching the high winds above the cloud cover. The whole ship leveled out, and swam through the clouds beneath it like they were its ocean to sail upon.

On board, in a lush room dominated by an extravagant canopy bed, the Princess Zelda paced back and forth in anxious frustration. It had been several hours since the pirates locked her away in that room. She listened in vain to the exciting sounds of shouting and gunfire from outside. Then things had grown silent. Sometime later she could see the light of breaking day filtering in through the shades on the windows, but still no one had come to fetch her. She pried at the lock, but the door was sturdy and would not budge.

"Why do they not let me help them?" cried Zelda, tearing at her hair, "I am grateful for my rescue. Truly, I am! But now shall I be locked away in another, more luxurious prison? Prison it remains! How am I to save Hyrule if I cannot leave this room? Why does no one answer me!"

She pounded her fist on the locked door, but no response came. Finally, she slumped down in an armchair, and her posture did not look at all like a princess.

"I hope Link is alright."

A moment later, her heart skipped a beat as she heard the door click open, and in came the First Mate, Gwen. Gwen had traded her Shiekah wrapping for the more traditional garb of a ship's officer, a blue button-down coat with silver piping and silver epaulettes on the shoulders. A dangerous looking sword with a curved blade dangled at her side, its handle made of silver and set with diamonds and emeralds.

"Princess, we are clear of Hylian pursuit. Captain Scarlett wishes to meet you. Please follow me."

This was all Gwen said, and then she turned on her heel and marched straight out of the room. Zelda's jaw dropped slack. She was completely unaccustomed to being spoken to so matter-of-factly, especially by a pirate. Gwen gave her no opportunity to argue though, and Zelda soon found herself dashing after the First Mate with her dress bunched up in her hands so she wouldn't trip on it.

"Excuse me, Gwen!"

"That's gonna be First Officer to you so long as you're on this ship Princess," retorted Gwen, striding along without so much as a glance back at Zelda. They were moving along the lower deck of the ship now, and the wind was blowing a fresh, saltwater breeze all around them. Pirates were all about, cleaning, tying off ropes, and repairing the damage caused by the night's conflict. When Gwen would pass close by any of them they would stop to salute her before going about whatever business.

"_First Officer, then," _said Zelda, carefully, trying not to allow her temper to get the better of her, "Please, can you tell me more about what is going on? Who are you pirates, and why have you saved me? Where is Link, and is he going to be okay?"

"Save your questions for the captain, _Your Highness_," there was a mocking quality in the way Gwen said this, "I'm not at liberty to discuss the operations of this vessel without express consent from my superior."

"Express consent!" cried Zelda, rushing around to the front of Gwen and stopping her in her tracks, "Excuse me, I don't mean to sound ungrateful, you did save me from certain death, but the fact remains: I am a Princess of Hyrule. You have brought me aboard your vessel, locked me away in a room without any explanation, and now you won't even tell me why I'm here or where you're taking me. I think I have a right to ask some questions!"

"Oh, do you now?" said Gwen, her brown eyes narrowing ever so slightly, "You listen to me, Princess, and listen good, because I won't be saying this nicely twice: You have no rights on this vessel unless the captain _gives _them to you. You're right, we have saved you from certain death, and we can deliver your right back into its arms just as easily. You might be used to living in a castle where everyone licks the crap off your boots and smiles about it, but up here you're just a sniveling little girl in a place she doesn't belong and doesn't understand. My men and I nearly died getting you out of that castle! So you're _gonna _refer to me as First Officer, you're _gonna _do exactly what I say when I say it, and you're _gonna_ wait to ask your stupid questions until the Captain is ready to answer them. If you don't like that, I have no problem ordering my men to toss you right over the side of this boat, and trust me there will be nothing pleasant about the splash you make when you land."

Zelda was stunned. Gwen couldn't help but smirk a little as she shouldered past the girl.

"Why did you save me at all if you are so prepared to just throw me away?"

"Because, it doesn't matter nearly so much whether you live or die as much as it does _who _kills you."

Zelda remained silent for the rest of their walk, feeling somewhat vulnerable from the harshness of the First Officer's words. Was she bluffing? Would they really just throw her overboard, just like that? Zelda decided it was best to wait and see what this mysterious Captain might have to say about the whole ordeal. Clearly, the First Officer had no intention of talking to the likes of her.

They went up a flight of stairs, where the deck above contained a wheelhouse. Zelda could see through the windows of the little room, and inside there stood a woman who seemed the living personification of the color red. Her hair was like a swath of crimson paint, wavy and wild beneath her black tri-corner hat. Her jacket, red with golden piping and a cord of golden rope wrapped around her right arm. Her epaulettes were gold with long, wispy tassels, and she wore a red eye-patch with the Shiekah mark upon it in glowing white.

Gwen led her right to the wheelhouse where the woman was standing with one palm wrapped firmly around one of the handles of a giant steering wheel. Zelda felt she needed no introduction; it was obvious that this was Captain Scarlett.

"Captain!" Gwen clicked her heels, and saluted dutifully to the red woman. Captain Scarlett turned to regard the pair of them, grinning devilishly, a gleam in her single eye, which Zelda could see now had a bright red iris.

"At ease!"

Gwen's hand dropped from salute, and she relaxed her posture only slightly.

"So, this is the Princess Zelda? It's a pleasure to finally meet you in the flesh, Princess. Please, come here, I'd like to show you my ship, The Crimson Stalfos!" said Scarlett, beckoning Zelda over, "That will do, Ms. Gwendolin. You're dismissed."

"Ma'am!" said Gwen, saluting once more. Then, she spun on her heel and marched away at a clip, leaving Zelda all alone with Captain Scarlett.

"You'll have to excuse my First Mate, Your Highness," said the Captain, "She's hard as nails, but she means well. No better lass to have on your side when someone's pissing in your potion though. A fine officer, all around, if a bit unrefined diplomatically speaking."

"Thank you, Captain," said Zelda, glad to see that Scarlett's mode of communication was a little more like what she was used to, "I assure you it is quite alright. There were some matters I was hoping to discuss with you though."

"I'm sure there are," said Scarlett, "I'm sure you'd like to know how we knew you were in danger, and why we decided to save you in such a bold and reckless manner from such dire odds. No doubt you've wondered why pirates would care what happened to a princess, yeah?"

"Um," Zelda felt at a disadvantage once again, as Scarlett had taken the words right out of her mouth. Had she been being impatient and ungrateful? Perhaps she simply hadn't given the pirates enough time to clue her in on what was happening. After all, they had only just escaped a fight with the entire Hylian army. "Yes, I suppose those were the things I was wondering about."

"Well, I'd like to tell you, but the truth of the matter is that I'm not completely sure," said Scarlett with a laugh, "See, this here vessel is a Shiekah ship, and as I'm sure you are aware, the Shiekah have been on the Royal Family's blacklist for some time now."

"Shiekah!" cried Zelda, "But the Shiekah were all exiled for trying to assassinate the King more than a hundred years ago! Why would you help me? I didn't try and kill my father, you know! That was all a lie made up by Nyarlath."

"This is a pirate ship, Your Highness, everyone is innocent here," said Scarlett, still just as mirthful in her speech, "Anyway, my stealing you away from the clutches of that wretched wizard had nothing to do with your alleged assassination attempt. No, not at all. See, we Shiekah are a very spiritual sort of folk. We put a lot of stock in the analyzing of dreams and their relation to the world of the waking. A month or two back I had a dream of what I suspected a prophetic nature and in the dream a great winged beast led me to a little island way out in the ocean where a magnificent treasure lay in wait for me. See, this was no ordinary treasure. It was a special treasure, which only I know the real significance of, and I absolutely had to have it. When I came to, I found that I had scratched the coordinates of the island on the wall with my sword while I slept."

At this the pirate fingered the handle of a marvelous golden sword which hung low at her side.

"That was what clenched it. It was sure as warts on a Moblin's backside, that weren't no regular dream. It was a prophecy. So, I rallied up my crew and told 'em we were setting sail. For three days we pushed on full tilt until we came to the open ocean, and over that we soared until we came to the place that the charts said the island would be. There it was, just like in my dream! A tiny, Goddess-forsaken island out in the middle of nowhere, nothin' on it but a palm tree and a single stone hut. Would have been nigh impossible to find if we hadn'ta already known where it was goin' ta be.

"So, we weighed anchor and myself and Ms. Gwendolin and a couple of trustworthy sailors went ashore. In the dream the treasure had sat right there in the stone hut plain as day, but seldom are things as simple in life as they are in the land of dreams. The treasure was not there, but in its place we found a single iron box, which we took aboard and proceeded to break the lock of. Inside there was no treasure, but a map and a set of very specific instructions on how that map might be used.

"This map told of a great treasure. Not the treasure I was seeking, but one older than Hyrule itself, which contained a power so awesome that any evil could be destroyed by it. Long ago, wise old wizards and witches had recognized the power of the treasure, and so that it would not fall into the wrong hands they split it asunder, and divided the pieces of it among them, scattered to the Seven Seas.

"The map, as you might have guessed, could reveal the location of the seven pieces of the treasure, but there was a catch. 'Only the blood of the chosen can open the way to the sacred treasure.' Well, that was right frustrating, as you can well imagine. What was this blood of the chosen? Who's blood? And how?

"Well, it took me quite a bit o' searchin' through the annals of our Shiekah history to find a definite reference, but my searchin' eventually paid off. It was written long ago that once per Cycle of the Goddess, that is every thousand years, there is a Princess born to the Royal Family on a certain day with a certain name, and she shall be the Godess' Chosen One, and from her shall shine the light of destiny. Do you know what the name of that Princess is, Your Highness?"

Zelda felt the color draining from her face, and her heart sinking into her chest. She stared in horror into the Captain's single, blood-red eye.

"You… want my blood?" said Zelda, grimly.

"Well," said Scarlett, appraising her own fingernails carelessly, "That has yet to be determined. Sometimes these ancient writings aren't quite literal. Could be we just need you to have the right blood and we can get by just fine, could be we only need a couple drops, or could be we have to stick you like a pig. It doesn't honestly matter to me, Princess. You see, the treasure I seek is _very_ dear to me, and only with the power of the ancients, the power to dispel _all evil_, can I win it back."

"Then you are no rescuers! I have merely traded one jailor for another. I am a prisoner here!"

"You can look at it that way if you like, and we could lock you up in the brig in a set of shiny shackles and you can eat bread crusts for the duration of your stay upon the Stalfos," said Scarlett, with the air of a bargaining salesman, "Or, you could agree to play nice, and we can make sure that the events of the future unfold as painlessly as is reasonably possible, with proper meals, your own quarters, and the freedom to walk the decks under only minor supervision. The choice is yours. It's of no real concern to me. My people's duty to your kindred ended long ago."

"You are despicable!"

"Darling Princess, I'm a _pirate,_" said Scarlett, showing her teeth, "We invented the word."

"I…" Zelda felt faint, claustrophobic, like the walls of the wheelhouse were narrowing down around her and cutting off the flow of air to her lungs. What sort of peril was she in now? How much better ripped apart by pirates than beheaded in front of her own castle? Then, there was Link to think about. What would become of him if she refused to cooperate? Would they toss him overboard just as Gwen had threatened to do to her? It seemed as though she had no choice, and reluctantly she said, "Ok. Ok, I will play along with you for now. I have but one request: There was a boy brought on board with me. Is he well? I shall never help you if any harm should come to him!"

"Oh, aye, your little green peasant friend," said the Captain, a grim look crossing her face, "I thought it best we let you see him before we did anything about it, but there's not much hope for him. The curse he's under is a mighty one. I've seen it's like before only once, and to my knowledge there is no certain way to dispel it. He won't ever wake up again."

"That cannot be!"

"I'm sorry, Princess, and I don't often use those words, but about this I _truly _am."

"You are a liar! There has to be a way to save him!"

"I'm afraid not," said Scarlett, solemnly.

"Take me to him!"

"As you wish," said Scarlett, then she went to the door and leaned out to call to one of her crew, "Mr. Zig! Take the helm. I'm going to accompany Her Majesty below decks to deal with our little green man."

A moment later they were in the cramped crew quarters below the lower deck, and the crowd of Shiekah pirates were scrambling to make way for their Captain, saluting dumbly, some stripped down to their overalls and undershorts, clearly unaccustomed to having a superior in their living space. Gwen had joined them on the way down, and Scarlett led her and Zelda to the little cot where Link lay, fitfully dreaming. His face still caked with dirt, and the bruises on his head were swollen and purple.

"Link!"

Zelda fell to her knees at his side, clasping his hand tenderly in hers. The mere sight of the boy was enough to drive her to tears. What dumb luck had brought him to her? A wiser man would have left her there to die, but he wanted to help her! It was her fault that he lay there, cursed and unable to awaken.

"You see, Captain, it's just like…"

"Tsst!" Gwen swatted the sailor automatically with the back of her leather gloved hand, "There are matters private to this ship, Mr. Kef, and you will do well to remember that."

"Aye, it's the dreamer's curse alright. I'm afraid there's nothing to be done about it," said Scarlett, and all of the devilish mirth was gone from her voice. There was a look in her eye as she watched the sleeping boy, which belied something far more dire than what was in her words. Zelda looked up at her in silent wonder.

"Here is the boy you had us risk our lives for, Princess," said Gwen, "He is trapped in his own dreams, and nothing can wake him. He would have been executed if he had remained with Nyarlath. Now he has the option of dying slowly from thirst and starvation, and there's nothing to do but sit here and watch it happen. What say you to that? Are you glad we risked so much for him? Would you still scream for the guards so that we wouldn't leave him behind?"

"It cannot be…"

"It is," said Scarlett, very sternly, "I'm afraid there's nothing else for it. We'll have to put him out of his misery. Ms. Gwendolin, take the Princess topside, she doesn't need to see this."

Scarlett unhitched a leather holster on her hip and drew a single-shot powder pistol from it, knocking the hammer back and leveling the weapon directly at Link's forehead. Zelda screamed.

"No!"

She broke the grip of Gwen from the sheer shock of her scream and put herself right between Scarlett and Link. The barrel of Scarlett's gun was pointed right at her heart.

"No, you cannot do this! I will not let you!" shouted Zelda.

"Don't be a fool, Princess! The boy is as good as dead," yelled Scarlett, "What I do now is a mercy compared to the suffering he'd go through if we left him like this. Can you imagine the dreams you might have if you were slowly starving to death? If you couldn't drink any water?"

"He is just a boy," pleaded Zelda, tears streaming down her face, "You cannot. You just cannot. It is all my fault!"

"Ms. Gwendolin, hold the Princess back."

Gwen took a step forward and grabbed the struggling Zelda by the shoulder, tearing her away. She kicked and screamed and cried, but the pirate's grip was too powerful. There was nothing she could do. Scarlett leveled her weapon once more, aiming it straight for Link's head.

"May you find yourself on brighter shores than these, lad," said the captain, quietly. Her finger was on the trigger…

"Awaken!" screamed the boy, sitting bolt upright on the cot. His eyes were wide, and his breathing heavy, but he was alive!

"Link?" said Zelda, not believing her eyes. Then, "Link!" as she rushed to him, throwing her arms around the boy and hugging him as tightly as she could, "Oh, Link! You are alive, you are alive!"

"Huh?" said Link, looking confused, "What? Yeah, I'm fine. Are you okay?"

All she could do was sob into his shoulder uncontrollably.

* * *

"So you just woke up, huh? Simple as that?" asked Scarlett, disbelieving. They were in the Captain's cabin, Zelda, Scarlett, Link and Gwen. The pirate had stared awestruck at the boy for several minutes after his awakening, seemingly unable to process what was happening in front of her, before storming back above deck, barking at Gwen to bring the two of them up immediately. Now Link and Zelda sat on a plush red couch in Scarlett's quarters. The Captain was interrogating the boy quite fiercely.

"Uh," said Link, feeling a little harassed, "Yeah, I just sort of woke up. I don't remember anything. Did I do something wrong?"

"No, Link, you have not done anything," said Zelda, shooting a dagger stare at Scarlett, "These pirates are simply barbaric, and cannot accept that anything pleasant should happen to anyone."

"Shut yer trap, Highness, or I'll shut it for ye," said Scarlett, her voice sinking into the growling pirate drawl Zelda had come to associate with her temper rising, "Boy. There was nothing unusual that happened before you woke up? You didn't see anything? Have any strange dreams?"

"Uh," said Link again, "Well, I have this nightmare about falling from the sky sometimes. Is that unusual?"

"Zig dropped him when we were leaving the castle," said Gwen, shaking her head, "I don't think it's significant."

"Hmm," said Scarlett, "Fine, I've heard enough. Ms. Gwendolin, take the Princess down to the galley and set her up peeling potatoes or something. I won't have any idle hands on my ship. I have a few more words to say to the boy, in private, and then we make way for the Temple of Life."

"Aye, Captain!" said Gwen, saluting, and then she took Zelda roughly by the shoulder and began to drag her out of the room.

"Unhand me, you!" said Zelda, trying to resist, but Gwen dragged her right along. "Link! I will see you as soon as I can. Stay safe!" called the Princess, just before the door slammed shut.

Link was alone now with Scarlett.

"Listen to me now, boy," said Scarlett, "This isn't my first day of buccaneering, you'll find me as savvy as any captain worth their salt, and I _know _that you are hiding something. Normally, I'd string a little liar like yourself up to the keel and drag him until there were nothing left but bones, but as your luck should hap the thing you're hiding is of a very particular interest to me. So, you can stay on my ship for the time being, and work as a cabin boy for my crew, but keep in mind: I've got my eye on you."

Link stared blankly into the Captain's single, crimson eye. He felt himself gulp audibly. What had he gotten into? He stuck his hands into his pockets and his fingers brushed the Sleepstone, which rested there, safe and secret, _for now_.


	6. Less Like a Princess

Chapter 6

The next couple of days were restless and full of hard work, and Zelda and Link rarely got to see each other at all. Link would be woken before the sun every morning and ordered every which way across the ship, scrubbing floors, digging muck out from the cracks in the woodwork, polishing doorknobs, emptying spittoons, tacking down patches on the hull, and whatever else the pirates could think of for him to do. The only times he got to see Zelda were during the three meals the crew had each day, during which time the Princess would be forced to serve them, Link included.

Zelda did not adapt quickly to the role of cook and servant. The first day, she spilled a pot of broth down the front of her dress, and the Captain had berated her for wasting food. Scarlett made her wring out the broth into a bowl, which she was then forced to take as her own dinner. The pirates shredded up her dress to use as rags for cleaning. Now Zelda wore the loose-fitting slacks and tattered black vest of a common pirate, and she could not have looked less like a Princess of Hyrule.

Yet when she saw Link in the galley she always smiled brightly at him and it made the boy feel a kind of happiness he had never felt. He had never known what it was like to have a friend before.

Link took very careful pains to hide the Sleepstone and almost never removed it from his pocket. He felt tempted to utter the word 'slumber' and slip back into that fantastic world of dreams and go riding on his clockwork dragon once again, but the words of old Impa stuck out in his mind and he didn't dare to go against them.

For one thing, it was obvious that the pirates were quite dangerous, far from the noble rescuers he felt Zelda was deserving of. Indeed, they didn't even seem to like the Princess, much less have any desire to protect her. Link could see the way some of the pirates glared at her as she served the food, and it gave him the feeling that among these miscreants the poor girl was downright loathed.

The only thing that kept him from trying to think of some way to engineer his and Zelda's escape from the vile swashbucklers was Impa's promise that they would lead him to a place where he needed to ensure Zelda's continued safety, although he couldn't imagine how that might be. 'When the time is right to use the stone you will know it,' Impa had said. The more Link thought of this, the more frustrated he became. How would he know it? What if he was wrong or he missed it somehow? Then was everything simply doomed? Oh well, too late, how sad. Link could think of no reason things were so ambiguous.

On the evening of the second day he heard the pirates whispering. They were saying that the ship would reach the Temple of Life in the morning. There was some comfort in that. After all, Impa had said the Temple of Life was where they would be going and validation of at least that much information helped him to convince himself that he was right to heed the old woman's cryptic words.

That night, Link enquired of Zig, one of the pirates who had been part of the party who had rescued him and Zelda, whether he would be going into the temple along with the rest of them. Zig was an older pirate, tall and skinny but built with powerful muscles. His head was bald on top, and he wore what wispy strands of silver hair he still had in a long ponytail behind him. Even on the ship, Zig wore his skin-tight Shiekah jumpsuit. Link found it easier to talk to Zig than the other pirates. Perhaps it was his advanced age, but he seemed friendlier and somehow more peaceful than the other crew members of the Crimson Stalfos.

When Link had asked Zig about going to the Temple of Life, the pirate had laughed warmly.

"You are eager to help Zelda, aren't you?" he said with a smile, "Well, don't you worry. We're pirates; we've done this sort of thing before. I understand that it's frustrating to have to just sit back and watch what unfolds, but trust me Link, you'd only get in the way. It wouldn't help Zelda if you went and got yourself cursed again, now would it?"

Link had desperately wanted to argue his point, and tell Zig and Scarlett and the rest that they needed him with them to stop Nyarlath, but he couldn't compromise his promise to Impa to keep the Sleepstone secret from the pirates until the time was right. Besides, even if he had produced the Sleepstone, how could he expect the pirates to believe him? Having a magic rock that makes you fall asleep wouldn't look too impressive to an observer. Besides, if he did use the Sleepstone in front of them, couldn't they just take it from him while he slumbered? And then what about the Sleepstone in the Dreamworld? If they took it from his sleeping self in the Waking World, would he lose it in the Dreamworld too? There were too many risks involved in letting them know. However, Impa had indicated that he would need inside the Temple of Life to save Zelda.

There was only one thing for it: He would have to sneak away from the pirates and catch up with Zelda and Scarlett inside the temple. Hopefully there would be enough time for him to reach them before something went wrong. He'd have to just make sure he was there when he needed and worry about figuring out what he was going to do when that problem arose.

In the night he rose from his cot among the noisy snores of the sleeping pirates and crept silently past them to the doorway to the upper decks. The moon was enormous, and looked close enough to brush with his fingertips, casting silvery light on the nighttime deck of the Crimson Stalfos. He slinked along, catlike, hugging the shadowy places at the corners of the walls and under the side railings. When he reached the door to the Captain's Cabin it relieved him to see that no lamp was burning inside. Carefully, he crept past the Captain's door to the next door down the way, a little sleeping cabin reserved for keeping Zelda.

He knew the door would be locked, but he went to the little four-pane window set in it and rapped sharply but quietly on the glass, then put his mouth up to the door frame and hissed, "Princess!"

There was no response. Link felt his heart racing in his chest. He hated to imagine what the pirates might do to him if they found him sneaking around Zelda's door at night, but he had to at least let the Princess know he was going to help her, even if he couldn't say exactly how. He held his breath and knocked on the window once more.

"Zelda!"

"Link, is that you?" came the whispered response from the crack in the door.

"Yes, it's me!" replied Link, "The pirates say we'll be at the Temple of Life soon. They won't let me go with you off the ship, but I wanted to let you know not to worry. I'm gonna sneak out and come to help you!"

"No, Link, you mustn't!" pleaded Zelda, "You don't understand, these pirates are dangerous. They might kill you if they catch you! I can't let you put yourself in more danger because of me."

"But Zelda, you don't understand," said Link, "I can help you. I found out something really special, but it's a secret so I can't tell you what it is yet. Just trust me, I can help this time. I'm gonna get you out of all this!"

"Oh, Link," whimpered Zelda, "You are too brave for your own good!"

"Just don't worry Zelda, I promise I will save you."

Suddenly there was the sound of footsteps on the stairway overhead, and Link had to scramble to find a place to hide. Noticing a canvas tarp draped over some barrels, Link stuffed himself underneath and hoped that the toes of his boots weren't poking out. He held his breath and tried his hardest to keep completely still.

A moment later someone came walking up, a lantern in their hand, whistling. There was the jingle of keys and the sound of a door swinging open on creaky hinges. Then the lantern light disappeared. Link exhaled with relief. Slipping out from under the canvas, Link could see that the light in the Captain's cabin was on now. He knew that he had only been seconds away from running smack into Captain Scarlett coming down from the wheelhouse.

"Don't worry Zelda! I'll see you tomorrow!" hissed Link at the door frame, but he didn't wait for a response before quickly and quietly making his way back below deck to lay in his cot, sleepless, and await the coming dawn.

The pirates woke before the sun came up to the cry of 'All hands on deck!' from First Officer Gwendolin. The Crimson Stalfos came drifting down through the misty clouds, the open expanse of blue ocean revealed beneath them. They headed straight towards the rising sun. Off in the East the silhouette of a great temple dominated the ridge of coastal cliffs of some unknown continent, high golden minarets rising up over the horizon and into the sky far above the breaking whitewater waves of the sea crashing upon the sheer rock face.

Link stopped in his morning routine of scrubbing the decks and stood up to regard the scene of otherworldly awe and beauty with starry eyes. He had never seen anything like the Temple of Life before.

"There she is," cried Captain Scarlett, "Ok, men, let's get some food in our bellies, we have a big day ahead."

Zelda seemed particularly somber during breakfast that morning. Her hands trembled as she poured coffee spiked with some thickly spiced, acidic liquor into the flagons of the pirate crew. Link's eyes met hers. She smiled weakly, but the sadness in her eyes made a pang in his heart. He finished breakfast before anyone else and rose to head back above deck and finish his chores.

"Not so fast, little green bug," said Gwen, seizing Link by the back of the tunic, "You're not doing any deck work today. I suppose you think that we pirates are a dull lot? That we'd just leave you running about full well knowing how prone you are to doing stupid things when that Princess of yours is in danger? 'Fraid we're a bit cleverer than we let on. You're spending the day under lock and key, Captain's orders."

Gwendolin lifted the struggling Link off the ground by the back of his collar and held him out in front of her like a dirty diaper. She carried him through the galley and out to the lower deck.

"Hey!" protested Link, "You can't just throw me around. I have legs you know!"

"Too many legs, if you ask me, but keep on struggling and we can find a remedy for that," said Gwen, clearly enjoying herself, "You're going straight in the brig, and that's that!"

"But I haven't done anything!"

"Yeah, yeah, keep talking," said Gwen, taking Link down a flight of stairs and through a side door to one of the lower decks. Inside was a room of the ship Link had not yet seen, a narrow kind of hallway, beset on either side by cramped cells of iron with enormous locks. Gwen tossed him unceremoniously into one of these and locked the door with a mocking laugh. "There, that oughta keep you out of trouble, Mr. Hero!"

Gwen slammed the door behind her as she went, but Link was hardly left alone for a moment before a portly looking pirate of considerable size came plodding into the room. He grunted unpleasantly at Link, then parked himself on a rickety old stool and propped himself up in the corner with his piggy little eyes glaring at Link directly.

"Oh perfect," Link whispered to himself under his breath, "A big, stupid guard. What is this, a fairytale?"

Once again the world suddenly seemed hopeless. How was he supposed to help Zelda at all while locked up here? Link just couldn't figure out these Shiekah Sky-Pirates. Were they trying to help Zelda or not? Why were they so mean to the both of them? Link was pacing round his cell, feeling anger rise up in him, his desperation fueling it like bellows blowing up a blacksmith's fire. He could feel the piggy glare of the portly pirate guard. His temper broke like a wave on the rocks below,

"Why don't you stare at someone else, you great big idiot!" screamed Link.

"Hur, hur, hur," chuckled the massive pirate, quite unimpressed with Link's raging.

"What's so funny?" shouted Link.

"Yer fancy yerself tuff, lil' man?" said the Pirate, his gruff words barely intelligible, snorted out as if through the gullet of a pig, "Ter ther Captin', yer aren't but a wee morsel. One tha in't fit ter shiny up her boots! Tha Princess too. Tis only ther blood she want, an' if'n a wee pinprick dun't git it, shill stick her dry ta git hands on tha booty o' this curst port."

"Her blood?" cried Link, "Why do they want her blood? That won't work at all!"

"Quit witcha nah, or y'll git me whip!" the pirate thumbed a huge bullwhip which hung upon his belt. Link threw his arms up in frustration and turned away to pace the corner of his cell with fury in his heart.

They meant to take Zelda's blood! How could they? He suddenly regretted ever trusting anything that Impa or any Shiekah Pirate ever said. Had he known what kind of peril Zelda was in, he never would have waited so long to act. He would have spent the last two days searching for a way to save Zelda. Now he was hopelessly trapped, no way out, and only moments from now Scarlett would be bleeding Zelda dry to get at a treasure that wasn't even there. Perhaps if he'd at least told the pirates about the Sleepstone they might have taken it and gone about their way and left him and Zelda somewhere on their own, which would be a thousand times better than the situation they were in now.

With the guard watching him relentlessly there was nothing he could think of to do. He collapsed to the ground in a huff. Sometime later, there was the sound of a gunpowder bang somewhere outside and the pirate guard confirmed that it was the sound of Scarlett's landing vessel deploying from the Crimson Stalfos. It wouldn't be long now before Zelda faced the edge of the knife.

The ensuing minutes passed with dreadful slowness. Link could feel his heart fluttering anxiously in his chest. He couldn't tell whether he should scream or cry, so he just sat there in the middle of his cell hugging his knees to his chest in catatonic hyperventilation.

Only the sudden addition of a new sound to his ears made him snap out of the grief-driven trance. He saw that the portly guard had drifted off and was now snoring loudly, teetering precariously on the little wooden stool. Link felt suddenly inspired.

"When it's time to use the stone, you'll know," he repeated the words of Impa to himself, "Well, this seems like as good a time as any. What have I got to lose? Here goes."

He reached into his pocket and slipped the Sleepstone into his palm. Bringing it out to rest in his cupped hands, he glanced over his shoulder one more time to make certain the guard was still asleep before holding the orb up to his lips and whispering, "Slumber."

The transition was sudden and remarkable. The whole world seemed to shift around him in a kaleidoscopic manner. He was suddenly sitting beside himself, looking down on his sleeping form. He took the Sleepstone, still held in his hand, and slipped it into his pocket. He watched as the shadow of the Waking World counterpart stowed itself in the pocket of the sleeping him as if drawn in by an invisible hand.

The Dreamworld version of the Crimson Stalfos was like looking into a funhouse mirror. The low wooden ceiling of the brig was now so high and shadowy that he could not clearly see it and the bars of the cell were unusually shaped, spaced farther apart in places and closer together in others, giving the place a sort of unreal quality. In the corner where the pirate slept there were now two pirates, but one was awake and dangling a string of yarn, which a little glowing kitten was playfully chasing and batting around.

The pirate didn't seem to notice him. Link was able to slip through a sizeable gap between the distorted cell bars and creep up beside the slumbering lummox. He was laughing gruffly at the antics of the little kitten, which looked to Link, upon closer inspection, made of fairy-dust and light.

"What are you doing?" said Link.

"Awww, wudya lookit tha?" cooed the pirate, joyfully, "Its Matey, it is. Live an' playin' an all! S'been so long tha I seent 'im!"

"Right," said Link, carefully, "Well, he sure does seem… um… playful. So, since you're busy playing with Matey, I thought I would just let myself out to use the bathroom. Think I could maybe have the key to the cell door?"

"Hum?" said the pirate, still gazing at the kitten wistfully, "Oh, yer, yer. 'Ere, take it. I jus' wan' to play wit' Matey."

The pirate barely seemed to notice as he handed over the key to Link. Hoping against hope that his plan would work, Link went over to the bars, shoved the key in the lock, twisted it, and very slowly pulled open the cell door. He went back inside and sat down beside his sleeping self. He took one last look at the surreal sight of the massive pirate, sitting beside his own sleeping self, playing with a cat that wasn't there.

"Awaken!" whispered Link.

The world seemed to spin around him, reshaping itself into the familiar rotting planks of the Stalfos's brig. He sat up, taking a look around. There slept the pirate, same as ever, a pleasant smile on his gruff face and his breaths coming in long, motorized snores. The only difference was that the door to his cell hung wide open, the key still dangling from the lock.

Link checked his pocket to make sure the Sleepstone was still safe and then crept out of his cell on nimble feet. He slipped through the door to the brig unnoticed, the huge pirate still snoring soundly to himself as Link closed the door quietly behind him. The deck was still alive with the shouts of working pirates, but down below where Link was there was no one. Deciding the open deck was too risky, link padded down the hallway deeper into the bowels of the ship on silent feet. Turning down a hall he had rarely seen the pirates frequent, he found himself descending another flight of stairs and coming out into an open room filled with crates and barrels and boxes, no doubt stuffed with the various food and sundries the Pirates needed for their long journeys through the Hylian sky.

Link went further into the dark storage room, groping his way across the boxes and crates, looking for some means to get himself off the ship and down to the ground below. He scrambled up over a tall stack of crates and came to a place where a single iron ladder came down from a hatch in the ceiling. Here there was a pair of big metal bars, like a rack set into the floor of the ship, and giant brass hinges which indicated that the floor itself could be opened, presumably for something to enter and exit the ship. By the look of the big empty rack, Link guessed that this was where Scarlett's landing ship descended from the lofty heights of the Crimson Stalfos, but no similar vessel was anywhere in sight.

Even if he could open the huge cargo door, how was he supposed to get down to the temple without falling? He continued on, unsatisfied there was not some other way. Eventually the storage room narrowed and ended in a wall with a rickety flight of stairs leading up to a little wooden door. Link climbed these and tested the little brass knob. The door was unlocked. Link slipped silently through, closing it behind him. He now found himself in a hallway with such a low ceiling that an adult would have to crouch down to navigate it. He could see light filtering in through little grated windows which lined the walls. The wind whistling in and out of these was fierce and loud and the chill of it cut straight to his bones as he went. At the other end of the hallway, it appeared that there was no door, merely a sort of port cut in the bottom of the airship, and some sort of vehicle with the quadruple wings of a giant dragonfly secured there by metal bolts. He headed straight for this and got inside.

The cockpit of the thing was a little round dome of brass with a single shield of glass in the front to save the driver's face from the wind. The last few feet of the hall that led to it seemed to have a separate metal floor from the wood planks which preceded it, and once Link was inside he saw that this was actually the top of the tail of the dragonfly shaped thing. The machine was a confusing mess of levers and buttons, none marked in any way that Link could decipher. He hadn't any choice though; if he wanted to save Zelda then this was his ride. He would have to just figure it out. After a moment scratching his head in silent wonder, Link shrugged, reaching out to jab a random button on the control panel.

Jets of whistling steam shot out of valves on the side of the thing, and its silken-looking translucent wings began to beat with the thrumming force of a hummingbird. As the wings buzzed with amazing strength, the narrow hall Link had come by began to tremble violently. The iron bands which held the little vessel in place began to whine with the strain of holding it.

"Hey, what's going on here?!" the angry snarl of a pirate came from the little wooden door at the end of the hall. Feeling panic gripping him, Link began to smash buttons and yank levers with reckless abandon. The flying machine tried to shift left, violently ripping the bolt which held it clear out of the bottom of the ship. Link pulled another lever. A brass door slid over the top of his cockpit, sealing him inside. A moment later there was the sound of angry pounding on the door, and Link jabbed another button at random. There was a loud 'ka-chunk' sound. The other bolt came loose, but the little flying machine remained there, now hovering on the strength of its own wings. The broken bolt and chunks of hull still attached to it went plummeting sadly away.

"He's dislodged it! Get clear!" he heard the pirates shout outside. Still unsure of how to proceed, Link gripped another lever at random and pushed it forward full force. The little dragonfly ship lurched forward, its tail breaking away from the little hallway and tearing out some more boards on its way. Link could hear the hull of Stalfos scraping against the top of his little flyer like rocks being dragged across metal. He pulled the lever back. The wings dwindled in speed, and the nose of his little ship dipped down. He began to plummet towards the open ocean.

Link screamed, grabbed desperately at the lever as gravity willed him forward to the nose of the cockpit. As he went tumbling past, the lever came with him. The wings beat with renewed strength as the flyer leveled itself out.

"Ok, lookin' better," said Link, re-situating himself in the pilot seat. Past the windshield, he could see that the Temple of Life lay directly ahead, massive and beautiful atop the megalithic stones of the coastal cliffs. He headed straight for one of the highest minarets, a silver-white spire capped with a massive, onion shaped bulb of shimmering gold. "Alright, Zelda, here I come!"

The little flyer went careening forward at top speed, its dragonfly wings beating madly. Link imagined the Shiekah pirates chasing him in similar little vessels, right at his heel with murder in their eyes. He glanced back and saw through the rear window that he was without pursuers, but there was no time for relief. As he turned around and saw the minaret rushing at him, he realized he had no clue how to stop the runaway flyer!

He screamed as loud as he could, threw his arms up to shield his face, and braced for impact. The little dragonfly machine went crashing into the side of the onion bulb atop the minaret, punching a hole straight into the tower and disappearing from the sky. Link was in a daze as dust and debris came showering all around him. He and the little flyer were falling, tumbling through the dark interior of the Temple's tallest tower. He screamed the whole way down.


	7. The Temple of Life

Chapter 7

The flyer came crashing down through the floors and rafters of the temple tower with a thundering clatter, sending dust and shrapnel flying in its wake. Link's ears were ringing with the sound of the fall and the sound of his own screams, completely unable to control the plummeting craft as it snowballed through floor after floor of the old tower. There was a metallic twang, and Link saw one of the dragonfly wings of his little escape craft come tearing off and go whirling away into the mess of tumbling debris all around him. The cockpit hit a massive stone and went bouncing like a rubber ball from one wall to the other, rattling Link around inside the little brass sphere like a rupee in a beggar's cup. Finally, the little flyer came smashing down on solid rock with a bang, throwing Link on his back. For a few moments, sand and wreckage could be heard, pouring down atop the thing, and dwindling away into slighter and slighter noises till Link was left alone in a sudden and unnerving silence.

The boy coughed and wretched, his stomach rising up in his throat with the nausea of his spiraling descent. The flyer had landed on its side, and the glass of the windshield had exploded with the impact. Scraping his arms and knees, Link pushed his way out the narrow gap it had made, cutting himself lightly on the shoulder and forearms but not enough to really be a bother. Forcing his way through the shattered windshield, he came flopping out with a thud on the bleached-white stones of the temple floor, which felt rough and overgrown with moss. Link sprawled there for a moment on his back, sucking down air in deep, ragged breaths.

Up above, sunlight shone brilliantly through the spot in the high stone ceiling where his ship had come crashing through. A rolling cloud of dust was still settling in the air above, revealing itself like a passing ghost as the sunlight cut a swath across it. He had done it! He was in the temple, and as close to in one piece as he could have hoped for.

Once he had caught his breath, Link sat up to have a better look around and get his bearings. The room he was in was enormous, likely one of the central chambers of the massive temple. It appeared that the place he had come to rest was the top landing of a giant set of stairs, which wrapped around the dome-shaped walls of the room at a shallow incline, but the flight leading down to the next landing had crumbled away countless years ago. He was left stranded on a little island outcrop of stone, high, high above the temple floor.

This was only one of the incredible visual marvels to take in though, for just as one might have expected from a place called "The Temple of Life", the entire room seemed a kind of giant atrium, a self-contained greenhouse of flourishing jungle life, which crept up the walls in brilliant vines as thick as a person's arms. From every balcony and bannister the hanging fronds of tropical trees stuck out like great fans of green, beset with every kind of flower, fern, and shrub. Butterflies and fairy gnats played on the unseen currents of the air. Somewhere down below a bird of paradise hooted pleasantly. The wall furthest from Link was partially caved in, and a mighty waterfall came spilling into the living chamber, its cascades echoing musically across the entire lush expanse of the temple.

"Wow," was all Link could manage to say.

He carefully stepped to the edge of the ancient landing, his boots causing the centuries old tile to crumble a bit, almost making him fall. Regaining his balance, he peered down to the depths of the massive room. Down below, maybe ninety or a hundred feet, a stone pathway marked a possible road through an otherwise overgrown canopy of tropical jungle. He spotted a group of figures down below following this road, which would lead them to the base of the waterfall. When he saw that the one in the lead was Captain Scarlett he hit the floor to try to hide himself from the pirate's menacing gaze.

Scarlett was tramping along, swinging her cutlass wildly at hanging vines and brush which encroached upon their path. Behind her, Gwen was pulling Zelda along by the arm. The Princess was hanging her head in resigned despair, allowing Gwen to lead her. In the rear, Link recognized the lithe forms of Kef and Zig, Captain Scarlett's favorite crew members save for First Mate Gwendolin herself.

So Zelda was still alive! There was still time to save her if Link acted quickly, but he was stuck up on the landing and had no idea where in the dungeon the pirates might be taking the Princess. He went back to the wreckage of the flyer, searching around for some oth er way off the landing.

It appeared that there had been a doorway leading off the landing to some other part of the temple, but Link's crashing entrance had completely caved it in. He was stuck! Come so far just to get stuck up in the air once again, and who knew how far behind him the rest of Scarlett's pirates were? Surely they would come to warn the captain of his treachery. Link closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose, willing his brain to gift him with some sort of plan.

There was no direct route down, aside from the obvious leap of certain death, but perhaps there was a way around. He went over to the remnants of the ancient bannister, where the crumbled stair had once adjoined with the temple wall. The roots and vines that clung to the wall looked thick and sturdy, and Link decided that they might hold his weight if he gripped them tightly and climbed across them like a ladder. Link resisted the urge to glance down once more to the temple floor so many stories below and began to search for footing on the overgrown wall.

Finding a good place to make way, he gripped the roots and learned that they were sturdy enough at least for the time being. Moving carefully but at a steady pace, he went like a spider crab, crawling sideways across the dangling vines, his heart pounding as he tried not to think about the deadly fall below. Seconds later, he was nearly halfway across to the next landing and he began to feel a little more confident. His hand came to rest on a thick vine of startling blue. The sound of shivering leaves made his heart jump.

The blue vine began to writhe in his grip and his right foot lost its hold on the precarious wall. The vine he gripped in his left hand gave way just a bit, its roots snapping like fishing lines as he dropped three feet down and came to an elastic stop. Above him, where the blue vine had been, a dekubaba the size of a man was shaking its fronds at him and hissing grossly.

Link felt a lump in his chest and tried not to look at the hungry carnivorous plant as it sputtered and clicked at him. The boy checked his footing and began to crawl along the wall once more, glancing warily ahead for any wriggling blue vines.

After a harrowing climb across the perilous wall of overgrowth, Link was glad to see solid stones under his feet. He let himself drop to the ground lightly and dusted the leaves and dirt off of his tunic.

The landing he had arrived at was in better condition than the one he had crashed the flyer on. A ten-foot archway of bone-white stone crowned a door set in the wall and the spiraling staircase twisted away further down the wall of the massive room. Link glanced over the bannister and saw that Scarlett and her pirates had taken Zelda somewhere further in the temple. He decided that, wherever they were going, he'd have a better chance cutting them off somewhere deeper in the temple than going all the way down to the ground floor and trying to catch up to them. He went to try the door.

The handle and lock, if there had been one, had long since crumbled away. Link was able to drag the stone door painstakingly free of its frame. Darkness greeted him on the other side, a narrow stone hallway of roots and vines and hanging moss, which had laid unmolested by the feet of interlopers and treasure seekers for untold eons. Link pulled the door as wide as he could to let light spill in.

He went inside, crawling on his hands over the massive roots, which crisscrossed the path, running in and out of giant holes they had bored patiently with their centuries of unchecked growth. The path was uneven and the overgrowth left him panting from exhaustion with his efforts of climbing, jumping, and scrabbling through it. As he went on, the light began to dwindle more and more, and he could tell by the slant of the ceiling that his path was descending at a low incline deeper into the ancient temple. He could hear snakes slithering, and the scamper of unseen rats in the wake of his trundling charge through the underbrush, but he moved on unafraid with no thought in his mind but the urgent need to get to Zelda before Scarlett could harm her.

Eventually Link came to a place where a dim and phosphorescent glow was visible on the foliage ahead. Pushing aside a hanging curtain of moss he revealed a sight so beautiful and unexpected that he had to stop and stare in wordless wonder for a moment before he dared to go closer.

Stretching down the hallway before him and away around the corner, a forest of mushrooms tall as men was glowing brightly enough to light the path. The fungi were massive and their caps hung overhead like the canopies of ancient trees. Each of their caps and stalks glowed a different color of fluorescent, psychedelic rainbow light.

Link stepped out into the forest of fungus, letting the strange glow of the eerie plants wash over him, casting his skin in lightning blue, electric pink and glowing eldritch purple. He meandered on through the glowing forest as in a dream, his fingertips brushing the cold and clammy surface of the glowing stalks as he went.

"Krrrrrruk!" the frog-like sound came echoing down the hall somewhere behind him, and he turned in a flash to peer warily down the hall of glowing fungus for its source. Silence greeted him. The glowing rainbow forest seemed devoid of life. Link dropped down into a crouch, scraping around in the creep of living vines and roots for something heavy enough to defend himself with. His hands clasped the end of something firm, and he tore it free from the underbrush with a grunt.

He held his prize up to the dim, rainbow light and saw it was a hefty stick of deku wood, snapped at one end and still firm enough of substance to make a decent club. Link gave one more look to the silent forest behind him before continuing on down the hall with his new prize. He had no doubts that something hidden was watching him from the cover of the glowing mushroom stalks, but he had no time to sit and lay in waiting. Zelda needed him, and if something intended to try to stop him they had better get it over with because he wasn't going to wait around to find out.

After a few more minutes of tramping through the weird glow of the mushroom forest, the croaking came again, but closer at his heels. "Krrrrrrrrruk!"

Link whirled around once more, his deku club raised to swing like a bat at anything that might pop up. The empty forest surrounded him, and there was no sign of the thing that had made the croaking sound. Link narrowed his eyes suspiciously, listening so hard he could hear is own deep, deliberate breathing. The rainbow of glowing mushrooms twinkled and shimmered all around him. He held his ground.

A shadow flickered across his peripheral vision. Link swung wildly, striking the stalk of a mushroom and carving a chuck right out of the soft fungus. There was nothing there. Link turned round and round, searching for his assailant, but there was nothing there!

"Come on out and fight!" cried the boy.

Another shimmer of movement caught his eye, and he spun around on his heel. At first, it seemed as though the forest itself was coming to life, as the very meat of one of the mushroom stalks came lunging at him, but as the shifting pattern of colors came sliding from its clever hiding spot in plain sight, he saw it for what it really was. Huge hands with skinny digits, suction cupped at the end, came reaching for him. A smiling mouth gaped at him from under dead eyes. The horrible purple tongue came lolling out, then snapped at him like a rubber band. Link hit the floor to avoid being gobbled by the giant, chameleon-skinned frog.

Link screamed, swinging the club wildly at the beast. Thwack! He struck the thing squarely in the side, and it croaked pitifully. The blow staggered the monster. Link took the opportunity to get back to his feet before the creature attacked again with renewed resolve. Now the thing was watching him warily, strafing around him on gangly legs, waiting for an opening to strike. Link brandished the club and waved it threateningly at the beast, but he wasn't willing to risk being tagged by that sickly purple tongue to get a good swat on it.

Link had lived in the forest for years, and watched the comings and goings of the deku scrubs, faery folk and mysterious skull children. He had learned much of the ways of the natural world. Strange and colorful frogs with sickly purple tongues reeked of poison and he had no desire to test his theory that the creature's slimy mucous was quite noxious.

He nearly tripped over a root poking out from the loamy ground, and the monster took the chance to strike. Link was barely able to lean out of the way of the slimy purple tongue as it came hurtling out of the gaping, smiling mouth. It hit the stalk of the mushroom next to him with a wet thud and stuck there like a spit ball. Link smiled at the un-blinking, dead eyes of the thing and brought his club down like a hammer on the knot at the end of the beast's tongue.

"Kruuuuukkk!" the thing moaned horribly, and its roars and sputters were disgusting. The putrid purple tongue went rolling back into its mouth, and the jaws clenched shut to guard the sensitive appendage from any further assault.

Link was on the offensive. Taking three steps forward, once more he swung his bat and caught the monster right between the eyes. The beast gurgled and croaked ghoulishly at the pain. Link took a step back and watched as the beast turned tail, scampering away into the mushroom forest as quickly as its gangly, hopping legs would carry it.

"Yeah, you just try that again!" he cried after it, "I'll see to it that you croak your last croak!"

Link watched the silent, glowing forest for a minute, waiting to see if the thing would come back for another go. After a time of silence, he decided that it was gone. He turned to continue on his path deeper into the old, musty temple.

* * *

Some floors below, the Princess and her captors were getting closer to their goal. The four fearsome pirates faced all the horrors of the forbidden temple with iron resolve, dispatching angry dekubabas and mischievous deku scrubs without skipping a beat. Zelda hated to admit it, but she admired the way that Gwen and Scarlett could face death so stalwartly. She secretly wished to have such courage. True, her devotion to her kingdom and her people was absolute, but in the face of danger and death she had proven herself little more than a scared child. When Nyarlath had attacked her father and locked her away in the dungeon she was completely powerless to stop him. Now her father lay under the same curse which had nearly killed Link and there was no certainty that he would ever awaken, which left her the only successor to the throne. Even if they could save Hyrule from Nyarlath, how could she be the queen when she was unable to even protect herself? Queens protected entire countries. They were strong and powerful. She was nothing like that.

Yet Link _had _survived the curse somehow, so maybe her father could as well. She had wanted to ask him if he had any clue how he had woken up, but there was never a moment they had together when the pirates weren't watching like hawks, listening to their every word. No good could come of those pirates knowing anything about magic or breaking curses. It was bad enough they thought they could just go around abducting whoever they please and forcing them to work like slaves.

Scarlett led them down a long, open hallway, lined with standing columns, several of which had toppled to the ground, or were missing pieces entirely. Up ahead, a short set of stairs led up five steps to a massive double door, wrapped in golden chains, and sealed by a golden lock in the shape of a dragon's head.

"Mr. Zig," said Scarlett.

"Aye, captain," said Zig, saluting dutifully. The pirate sprang up the door acrobatically and perched himself on the golden chains, situating himself directly on top of the golden lock. With a flick of his wrist, the same lock pick he had used only days before to save Zelda from her shackles came springing forth. He jammed it into the keyhole and began to work it back and forth methodically, his brow furrowed in deep concentration.

"Well, Princess, this is it: our moment of truth. I do believe this sort of lock upon this sort of door is in keeping with the traditions of the Seven Sages, so there is no doubt in my mind that we shall find our treasure in the room beyond," said Scarlett, "Are you afraid? It's okay, anybody would be."

The Captain came close to Zelda, her blood-red eye only inches from Zelda's face. The Princess returned her fearsome gaze with refined and melancholy silence.

"For the record, Princess, I do not want to kill you. There are some among my clan who hold a grudge with your family for our exile, but to me that is mere fable and legend. I could care less," said Scarlett, "There are other things I care about and it just so happens that this is the only way that I can protect those things. So I'm sorry about what has to be done. I wish there was another way, but I do not have a choice. It's nothing personal."

"You're going to kill me, and it's nothing personal?" said Zelda, calmly, "Oh, its personal Scarlett. Whether or not you want it to be, _it is_. Now let's get this over with."

Zig unlocked the door with a sharp click, and the golden chains began to withdraw into themselves like magic. Eventually, the lock itself came clattering to the floor, and the enormous double doors came swinging open of their own accord.

Inside was a round chamber with a domed ceiling, its floor a courtyard of short, lush grass of deepest green. A deku tree the size of a building dominated the center of the space, a small stone alter at its foot, etched all around with ancient runes carved in its surface. Scarlett went marching in immediately, and the pirates came after her, dragging Zelda along beside them.

"The Great Deku Tree!" cheered Scarlett, "The old legends said it would be here. It is said that this tree was the first living creature in all Hylia, older than the legend of the goddess itself. Long ago, it had a voice and a spirit, but the disrespect and defilement that people have for nature drove that spark out of it, and now it stands here a normal tree, a mere shadow of what it once was."

Scarlett approached the stone altar at the foot of the tree, and the pirates and Zelda gathered round her expectantly.

"To the one who bears the Chosen Blood of the Goddess," said Scarlett, her fingers tracing the ancient runes on the altar top, "The secret of the treasure shall be revealed to you, and what you dream of shall become a reality. Seems straightforward enough. Bring her here!"

Gwen seized Zelda's arm and began to drag her towards the altar, the Princess struggling hopelessly against the pirate's iron grip.

"Touch her hand to the stone," said Scarlett.

Gwen grasped Zelda's wrist and forced her palm down on the top of the altar. Zelda felt the cool stone under her fingers, but nothing happened.

"Alright then," said Scarlett, producing a dagger from her belt, "This will hurt a bit, Princess."

Zelda was struggling and pleading with them, but the pirates held her firm in place. The Princess whimpered in pain as the pirate dragged the curved edge of her knife across the back of the girl's hand, cleaving the skin with razor sharpness. Blood flowed in little crimson trickles over the back of her hand, slipping down the sides of her palm and in between the cracks of her fingers, the liquid breath of life pooling on the cool stone and running into the grooves of the carven runes.

There was a rumbling, and the altar began to shift, sliding off its pedestal as cleanly as can be.

"Looks like it's your lucky day, Princess!" cried Scarlett, wiping her dagger clean and stowing it away in her belt once more. Zelda and the pirates all watched with keen anticipation as the shifting altar slid away, revealing a recessed compartment of stone in the ground below. Scarlett leaned in close. There was a depression in the stone the shape of some jagged object that the pirate could not name, because, whatever it had been, it was not there.

"Damn!" shouted Scarlett, "Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn!"

The pirate tore her hat off her head, threw it to the dirt and kicked it angrily.

"Where the hell is it? It has to be here!" she shouted. Then, she rounded on Zelda, and there was a kind of mania about the look in her one red eye that Zelda had never seen before. Scarlett was always unpredictable and a little scary, but with that look on her face she was downright terrifying. She looked like a woman at the end of her rope, driven to actions of desperation more deplorable than the Princess could have imagined. "Drain her _dry_," sneered the mad pirate.

Gwendolin drew her sword swiftly, and pointed it at the Princess. Zelda screamed.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

All eyes were upon the newcomer. Nyarlath came up the steps and through the double doors, appearing like a rising titan, taller and more menacing than any of the pirates. His eyes were alight with eldritch magic, and the crystal clutched in the silver talon on his chest crackled inside with mystic lightning arcs.

"Demon!" cried Scarlett, the madness in her eyes still burning. She drew her own cutlass and pointed it at Nyarlath in an accusatory manner, "You show your vile face at last! I will make you pay for your crimes against the Shiekah."

"And defile one of your people's holiest of temples? The very symbol of the life you would avenge?" the Wizard sniggered evilly, "Life springs up all around us," said he, producing from his closed fist a single green seed the size of a large marble, which he laid out flat on his palm, "Growing from the humble beginning of a single seed into the myriad of squirming, breathing things that flutter all around us." He let the seedling fall from his palm, and where it hit the dirt it burrowed down of its own accord, and a sapling sprang forth at once as if time had kicked into overdrive.

"From the creeping ground, it reaches up to the heavenly sun, grasping for the energy to grow. So it develops, mind, heart and soul, becoming part of all of us, and we are led by the strings of fate, which speak to us from the shadow realm of dreams, guiding us ever onward towards infinity," said Nyarlath, watching as the little sapling began to shift and stretch, and soon was as tall as his knee.

"Life truly is the grandest of journeys, but no matter how we struggle, no matter how we rail against the adversity of the world around us, every one of life's great journeys ends in the same place: the inevitable demise of all things, our pitiful return to the very void which spat us out, our moments in the sun tiny and unremarkable in comparison to the finality of that last, desolate horizon which awaits us all," said Nyarlath. The plant was almost as tall as him now, and the end of its stalk began to swell, developing into a giant flower bud, large enough to hide a child in.

"Do you not understand?" said Nyarlath, his gaze now locked on Zelda's, and she knew the awful sorcerer was addressing her directly, "Our very lives are but waking dreams, meaningless trances we find ourselves in, where the illusion of purpose is maintained pointlessly and our every toil only serves to dig ourselves deeper into our graves."

The flower bud shivered and split at the seams, blooming suddenly into a blossom of crimson red, deep violet and shocking orange. The dekubaba had just been born, and clicked its razor teeth hungrily at the air, its 'head' bobbing about, sightless. Even as it blossomed it continued to grow, now larger than Nyarlath himself.

"I am Nyarlath, Lord of Dreams, and I will awaken all life from this perverse dream of reality, and bring about that final void of demise to which all things are destined to return! You fools cannot fight your own fate. I will awaken you to the reality of your own insignificance, and you will feel the bliss that only death can bring!"

At the Wizard's words, the giant dekubaba came lunging forward, snapping viciously at them. Gwen hit Zelda like a bullet, grabbing her around the waist and bringing her to the ground to avoid the massive, snapping jaws. Kef and Zig both cartwheeled away expertly, and Scarlett merely sidestepped the attack, taking the opportunity to bury her cutlass in the side of the massive creature. It screeched, thrashed its bulbous head, and struck the Captain with such force that she was knocked into the rough bark of the nearby deku tree.

"Captain!" cried Zig, rushing forward to put himself between the monstrous plant and his fallen Captain. The thing snapped at him, but the pirate dodged its assault and jabbed it four times with the point of his wrist blade before it could recover. The monster roared hideously. Zig braced himself as it lunged at him again, and though he was quick the monster was quicker this time. Zig threw up his sword arm to shield himself, and the massive jaws of the thing came chomping down, taking his arm all the way up to the shoulder. The plant flailed extraordinarily, and shook Zig like a rag doll.

"Zig!" shouted Gwen.

The plant whipped the unfortunate pirate around like a dog shaking a piece of meat. Eventually the force was simply too much, and Zelda watched in horror as Zig's arm seemed to tear right from its socket. The pirate went flying to the ground with a thud, and did not rise. Zelda screamed.

* * *

Meanwhile, Link was emerging from the damp, mushroom-lit hallway into a room lined with the ruins of standing pillars, and he could hear a commotion up ahead which caused him to burst into a run. Clearing the huge stone hall, he went leaping up the stoop and towards the double doors. He gasped in shock at the scene before him. The Wizard Nyarlath was there, and some kind of giant mutant dekubaba was thrashing violently at Zelda and the pirates!

"Zelda, no!" cried Link, dashing into the fray. He leapt over the wriggling vines which were sprouting like awful parodies of feet from the base of the monster's stem, and made his way to Zelda and Gwen with acrobatic quickness.

"Little green bug?" said Gwen, unable to believe her eyes, "How did you get here?"

"Don't worry about that!" shouted Link, "Just give Zelda to me, I'll get her out of the way!"

Gwen stared at Link for a moment. A searching vine went whipping at the pirate, grasping her arm. Yelping with surprise, Gwen hacked at the thing with her cutlass which she still held in her other hand. It came loose in two swings.

"Fine," said Gwen, allowing Link to take Zelda's hand, "But don't go too far."

Link took Zelda's hand and led her across the treacherous battlefield, ducking creeping vines and razor teeth, and scrambling over the ever-expanding system of roots which writhed around the floor like a carpet of squiggling earthworms.

"Link!" cried Zelda, "I cannot believe it! How did you get away from the pirates?"

"It's a long story," Said Link, leading the princess out of the chamber and into the hallway with the ruined pillars, "But right now I need you to trust me. I have to stop Nyarlath before he gets his hands on the treasure of this temple. It's going to look like I'm asleep, but just trust me ok? This is the only way I can do this. And try not to let them kill me while I'm still unconscious, ok?"

"Wait, Link, I do not understand," said the Princess, "What do you mean asleep? Unconscious? I do not know what you are talking about!"

"Look, I know it doesn't make sense, but you have to just trust me," said Link, clasping the princess' hands in his and looking her in the eye. Zelda's ocean blue orbs shimmered back at him, tears threatening to spill out from the corners, but the princess smiled faintly at him and nodded her head.

"Ok, Link, I trust you."

"Good."

Link took the Sleepstone from his pocket, and held it up in front of his face just as he had in the brig on the Crimson Stalfos. "Slumber," he whispered.

There came the kaleidoscopic shift of perspective Link had come to associate with the Dreamworld. The Temple of Life shifted all around him, and he watched as the fallen pillars rebuilt themselves, and gorgeous potted plants of myriad colors sprang up like caps upon their tops, letting ropes of foliage which shined like silver down in long thin strands which draped the length of the pillars and coiled on the ground like sleeping snakes. There was no roof anymore, only a sunlit sky of brilliant blue, dotted with puffy rolling clouds of angelic white.

Nearby, the shadowy Waking World Zelda was shaking Link's sleeping self, urging him to return to her, and tears streaming down her cheeks. Link felt a little pang of guilt for putting her in such a spot, but he steeled himself against it, remembering that this had to be done for Zelda's sake and that of all Hyrule. Link's eyes narrowed in determination, and he was ready. Nyarlath had to be stopped!

He raised his fingers to his lips and gave a sharp whistle, "Here boy!"

As if from thin air, the clockwork dragon came careening from the sky, landing at Link's side with a thunderous boom. It shot sparks into the air in a declaration of readiness. Link mounted the thing, and together they went soaring into the room where the pirates were fighting the giant dekubaba in the Waking World.

In the Dreamworld the monster appeared sharper and more defined than most of the shadows cast by the Waking World. Link steered the clockwork dragon round the beast, scanning the room for Nyarlath. At last, he spotted the wizard near the stone altar, and he seemed to be searching for something. The treasure! Link urged the dragon forward. They dived towards Nyarlath like a swooping falcon on a field mouse.

"Insolent boy," said Nyarlath's voice in Link's ear. The old wizard turned, and in the Dreamworld link could see that his weathered face was not his own. A bull's skull with hollow, dead eyes beset with eldritch purple flames glared at him, its hideous grin motionless and without feeling. The wizard raised his hand and Link and the clockwork dragon were stopped mid-flight, hanging there in the air as if frozen in time. "I do not know where you gained the power to walk amongst the sleeping, but the Dreamworld is _mine _to do with as I see fit. You cannot hope to stop me here."

With a gesture of his hand, Nyarlath sent Link and his dragon flying into the giant dekubaba, which rounded on them spectacularly, its jaws chomping hungrily at the Dragon's beating wings. The clockwork dragon began showering the monster with steam and sparks which singed its shaking leaves, but the dekubaba remained relentless in its attack.

"No!" cried Link, gripping the dragon's shoulders tight so he wouldn't be shaken off, "You have to fight it!"

The vines of the plant began to rise, twisting around the dragon, creeping up to brush Link's arms and legs, and pulling them both closer and closer into the awful, snapping jaws.

* * *

In the Waking World, the pirates were taking the opportunity to regroup. Scarlett rose from the grass, marveling at the sight of Nyarlath floating in the air above her, and the giant dekubaba, apparently fighting some unnamed, invisible foe. Then her eye caught sight of Gwen and Kef, who were dragging the limp form of Zig away from the battle on their shoulders.

"Damn," said Scarlett, making a mad dash across the grass to join her crew.

"What happened to him?"

"Captain!" replied Gwen, "He's unconscious. The beast tore his clockwork arm clean off and smashed him pretty good on the ground, but I think he will be ok."

"Right," said the Captain, "Get him to the hall and hang back. Make sure that Zelda hasn't slipped away from us."

Then she turned back to regard the Dekubaba, which was still struggling enigmatically with some unseen attacker.

"What is it doing?" said Gwen.

"I don't know," said Scarlett, plainly, "But I intend to find out."

* * *

The vines were closing tight around Link and his dragon, and in moments they would be dragged into the waiting mouth of the giant dekubaba and eaten alive. Link roared defiantly at the beast, willing his dragon to fight back to the very last.

Then Link felt an electric sensation, like a wave of thought coming storming into his brain like striking lightning. "Okay now, you're not thinking with your whole brain! Try something _bigger_."

Link's eyes snapped open, and he suddenly knew exactly what to do. He concentrated as hard as he could on the dragon.

The vines, which had once cracked and tore at the brass and wood surface of the clockwork dragon's skin, now seemed to intertwine, seeping like trickles of water straight into it. The canvas of the wings seemed to molt away, peeling back like dried snake skin to reveal thick, tropical leaves. The brass caps on the top of the head came bursting apart, and horns of curled deku wood emerged, twisting into fawn-like spirals which flanked its head. All around him, the clockwork dragon was transforming, become something organic and full of the vibrant green of forest life. The mighty jaws of the dragon were flung open, and it belched a cloud of noxious, corrosive poison. The dekubaba shrieked and loosened its grip, its leaves and branches shriveling away to ash in every place the gas cloud touched.

Link's dragon beat its wings triumphantly, roaring at the clear, blue Dreamworld sky above. It had shaken off its clockwork aspect, and at Link's will become an avatar of nature itself, infused with the very spirit of the Temple of Life. As the dying dekubaba crumbled away to ashes, Link wheeled the dragon around, and the pair of them faced the Wizard Nyarlath with vengeance in their eyes.

"There is more to you than I thought, whelp," said Nyarlath. Then he sniggered again, that devilish, raspy laugh. "It matters not. When next we meet I shall be ready for you. You only prolong inevitability."

"You talk too much!" said Link, and the dragon opened its jaws again and belched another plume of noxious gas, but when the air was clear again Link could see that the Wizard had gone.

The dragon set down gently on the grass before the stone altar, and Link dismounted. He rushed over to the depression in the ground beneath the altar, and peered hopefully down. Sparkling in the sunlight, set perfectly in a carven socket on the stone, a jagged shard of shining metal was resting. Link reached down and picked the thing up, being careful not to cut himself on its sharp edges. He held the thing up to the light and it looked to him like a piece of the blade of a sword.

"Is this the treasure?" he wondered aloud. He shoved the thing into his pocket, and then turned to face his dragon. "You did a great job, boy!" said Link. The hybrid of wyrm and wood bowed its leafy head, and Link patted it approvingly.

Reaching into his pocket, Link withdrew the Sleepstone, and held it in front of his face to say the magic word…

* * *

"Is he asleep?" said Gwen as she approached Zelda and Link. Zelda looked up, tears still in her eyes, and shook her head with disbelief.

"I do not know what happened," said Zelda, "He just took me out here and told me to trust him and then he… and now he is… it is like he is cursed all over again!"

"What's going on up there, Captain?" shouted Kef. Scarlett was still at the top of the stairs, watching the giant dekubaba struggle pathetically against thin air. Its leaves were beginning to curl and shrivel, turning brown and wilting before her eye.

"It looks like its dying," replied Scarlett.

"Dying?" said Kef, "How could it be dying?"

"It doesn't matter," said Scarlett, "It seems as though Nyarlath is gone too. Bring Zelda back up here, we have to collect the treasure quickly and get out of here before the old warlock returns."

"Awaken!" shouted Link, sitting bolt upright, and causing Zelda to scream. Link looked at her, and his face broke out in a giant grin. He hugged the Princess tight.

"Zelda!" he cried, "You're safe! We did it! We really did it!"

"What is he babbling about?" said Gwen.

"Whatever you think happened, kid," said Scarlett, marching up to seize Zelda's hand and pull her to her feet, "It was just some stupid dream. You've been asleep this whole time."

"Yeah, I know," said Link, "I know, it was a dream, but it doesn't matter! I did it!"

"He's mad!" shouted Gwen.

"No, look," said Link, producing from his pocket the little shard of blade he had recovered from the Dreamworld, "Here: the treasure. This is it, I'm sure!"

"Let me see that!" shouted Scarlett, letting Zelda go and snatching the little shard from Link's fingertips. The pirate held it up to the light, and saw that there were runes marked upon its flat side, although with only the one piece there no words to be read. "Well I'll be drunk and robbed, this is the genuine article."

The pirates could only stare at the boy in slack-jawed wonder.


	8. The Tragedy of Ryll and Ruka

Chapter 8

Scarlett was furious.

They had boarded the Golden Skulltula, her landing vessel, an almond-shaped craft with a trio of powerful turbines in the rear, crimson wings like angled sails on the flanks, and a solid top of shining brass, shaped like a spider with a skull for a body. Zig was battered and delirious, his clockwork arm a mangled nub sticking from his shoulder, and his ribs cracked badly in several places. They had to keep him from choking on his own blood as he struggled to breathe.

The details of Link's escape and his trek through the temple to find them were questionable at best. The boy had admitted that he had crashed her dragonfly fighter into the temple and that was how he reached them, but he neglected to mention how he had managed to leave the brig in the first place. Somehow, whilst under lock and key on a ship crewed by more than fifty full-grown, fearsomely trained, battle hardened pirates, a single small boy had managed to not only get away from them, but also cause thousands of rupees worth of damage to her ship _and _destroy her only lightweight fighter. To make matters worse, if he hadn't gotten away with it they very well could have all died.

She didn't know who to whip for this one, the boy or her crew. Both, probably.

Gwendolin and Kef were completely engrossed in the care of poor Zig, and hadn't yet had a chance to be upset about Link's actions, but ever since they had left the Temple of Life Scarlett's eyes had not left the boy. There was something about the brazen youth, the way his blue eyes were always full of energy and the merry fashion the tail of his cap trailed after him as he moved, that made her feel like there was something more to Link that she was missing entirely.

Could such a headstrong and careless child really be a powerful magician? He certainly didn't act like one. However, there was no denying that she had seen him _twice _now awaken from a sleep he should not have ever awoken from. The cursed sleep which she had seen the power of and felt helpless to dispel and this mere boy could shrug it off like an afternoon nap.

Then there was the matter of the invisible attacker which had defeated the monstrous dekubaba and driven out the Wizard Nyarlath, who commanded power that Scarlett could scarcely imagine the depths of. Scarlett had crossed paths with Nyarlath more than once in the past and the old wizard had always bested her, a foe so powerful that she stood no chance toe-to-toe. Now he was running from invisible phantoms as if his heels were on fire.

The Princess Zelda she had stolen away from a grim execution at the wizard's hands had turned out nearly useless, but the boy was another matter. Even in recovering the sacred treasure, a feat which Scarlett had planned for months, he had bested her. There was no obvious explanation for it, but Scarlett was sure as she could be, Link was somehow the key to all of this. It had been he who had recovered the treasure and somehow it had been he that had driven out Nyarlath and his summoned horror in the Temple of Life.

"Will Zig be alright?"

Scarlett turned her attention to Zelda, who was now standing at Gwendolin's side next to the broken Zig. Gwen shook her head solemnly, "He's not in good shape. All we can do is get aboard the Stalfos as quickly as possible. Hopefully we'll be able to stabilize him with the first aid supplies we have there. The nearest city with a doctor is at least two days flight from this coast."

"C'mon buddy," said Kef, gripping Zig's good shoulder, "Hang in there."

The injured pirate coughed, and spat blood out of his mouth.

"Gwen," said Zelda, touching the First Officer's arm. Gwendolin rounded on the girl and it looked for a moment like she was going to say, 'That's First Officer to you!', but the pirate caught the look in Zelda's eye and she couldn't find the words.

"May I?" said Zelda, gesturing to Zig. Gwen looked from the girl to her fallen comrade.

"What can you do?"

"I may not be a brave pirate or a powerful sorcerer," said Zelda, kneeling down beside the fallen pirate, "But I am a Princess of Hyrule, and member of the Hylian Royal Family. I am not completely powerless."

The Princess laid her palms flat on Zig's chest. The pirate groaned painfully, but Zelda did not move. Link and Kef and Gwen all leaned in close to get a better look. Even Scarlett stood from her seat, craning her neck just a bit to see what the Princess was up to.

Zelda closed her eyes and said, "Mother Goddess, keeper of the light of creation, Our Lady Hylia, please give the gift of life to this brave soul. In your glorious name, so it be."

Zelda's hands began to glow with golden light, her hair wavering as if lifted on unseen currents. The electric light of the Skulltula's cabin seemed dim to the point of darkness when compared to the shining purity of the light emanated by Zelda. Scarlett had to hold a hand up to her brow to shield herself from the intensity, as gold saturated into blinding white. As the flash overtook her, Scarlett caught a glimpse of Zelda through squinting eyes. The princess' eyes were open now and they had turned into solid orbs of shimmering, pupil-less gold.

Slowly, normality began to return to the cabin once more and the collective group of them all had to gasp. Zig was breathing normally now, asleep soundly on the reclined seat. The blood was gone.

"How in the…?"

"Don't be stupid, Gwen," said Scarlett, walking around to the back of Zig's chair and reaching down to press his ribs. They were no longer broken. "Just as I thought, she's healed him completely. That shouldn't be any surprise though. You know as well as I what that was: the Light of the Goddess. Any Shiekah worth her salt knows that the Royal Family are the sacred keepers of that light."

"Wow, Zelda!" exclaimed Link, "That was incredible! Is Zig really gonna be okay?"

"It was nothing," said Zelda, her eye's locking on Scarlett's cyclopean gaze. "The least I could have done."

"Princess," said Gwen. Zelda was shocked to see the pirate bowing low beside her. Gwen looked up at Zelda, and there were tears in her brown eyes, "Thank you."

"I've seen enough," said Scarlett, still glaring at Zelda, "First Officer, remember yourself."

"Captain!" said Gwen, rising at once and saluting.

"Make preparations to dock with the Stalfos," said Scarlett, heading towards a door, her private cabin aboard the Skulltula, "Boy, come with me. I have some questions for you."

"Me?" said Link, glancing around at the group. Kef and Gwen, relieved by the sudden recovery of Zig, were already busy with operating the Skulltula's complex array of controls and said nothing. He looked pleadingly to Zelda, who tilted her head in a way that said, 'Just humor her'. Link gulped, not eager to come face to face with Scarlett's temper after damaging her ship and crashing her flyer.

Reluctantly, the boy rose and went after Scarlett into the cabin, glancing over his shoulder at Zelda, who only smiled back at him.

Once they were inside, Scarlett closed the door and locked it.

Scarlett's cabin on the Skulltula was smaller, but did not lack in any of the luxury of her quarters aboard the Stalfos. A bed with silken sheets, big enough to sleep two comfortably, was tucked into one corner. A desk of deku wood topped with polished marble made a centerpiece, behind which an antique chair, upholstered in fine Gerudo silk, sat like a throne. There was a globe near the door, hand painted and bearing the coordinates of many strange places Link had never heard of. Scarlett went to the globe and grasped the top of it, lifting it up, and the two hemispheres came apart to reveal a well-stocked mini-bar inside. The Captain produced a brandy glass and uncorked a phial of some amber liquid, which she poured into her glass then drained down her gullet in one swill.

"Look here, boy," said Scarlett, refilling her glass, "Ye've become a real pain in my ass, and I mean it. Yer continued presence on my ship has been a burden on myself and my men. Ye've cost me rupees, a priceless airship, and my own pride on more than one occasion."

"Captain Scarlett, you don't understand, I…"

"Silence!" Scarlett slammed her fist down on the marble table, sloshing some of the amber liquid in her glass onto the floor. Scarlett took another drink, composed herself and went on, "All of that being said, it's become clear to me that we cannot recover this treasure without you. Nyarlath would have put an end to us all right then and there, except something stopped him. I've got no clue how ye've done what ye've done, but clearly only you can recover these shards and make the treasure whole again."

"You…" Link couldn't believe his ears, "You need _me_?"

"Aye," said Scarlett, "Aye, I can scarcely believe it myself, but it appears that I do."

"Does that mean you'll be nicer to me and Zelda?"

"It means we won't be throwing you overboard when we get back for all of the damage ye've done to my ship!" declared Scarlett, sternly, "And, it means that you, boy, are going to have to learn to fight like a pirate. I won't have my men playing babysitter in every temple from here to the Gerudo Desert and back again. You're gonna toughen up, you're gonna work hard, and you're gonna get me that treasure."

"I'll help you, for Zelda's sake and because it's the only way to stop Nyarlath," said Link, "But you know that once the treasure is complete, I can't just let you have it. I'm sure you must see how evil Nyarlath is! Why not just help me and Zelda stop him? We could work together! We could be friends!"

"I'm not your friend," replied Scarlett, plainly, "And as for the potentiality of a treacherous turn of events after the treasure has been assembled, that is a bridge best crossed when it's come to. As things stand now, I need you to recover the shards, but you need me to reach the temples. Without my airship, you have no way to travel the considerable distances between them. So, for the time being, we are stuck with one another."

"…but Nyarlath has to be stopped. Can't you see that he's trying to destroy everything? It's your problem too."

"I've no love for that demon, this ye can count on," said Scarlett, "but there is another matter I must resolve before I can worry about him, and as it happens I need this treasure to see it through. I realize that that puts us at odds, but it's the way it has to be. Consider yerself lucky I don't just run ye through right now and have a go at it again on my own."

"There's nothing I can say to change your mind, is there?" said Link.

Scarlett glared back at him from her single, blood-red eye.

* * *

During the following days, things aboard the Stalfos changed considerably.

Scarlett had berated her men fiercely for allowing Link to escape, going so far as to administer ten lashes to the large pirate who's responsibility it had been to watch Link in the brig. Link had felt terrible about this, but Zelda reminded him that it was not his fault that Scarlett was so stern.

Zig had made a complete recovery, though his clockwork arm would take some time to rebuild. When the crew had heard what Zelda had done for Zig the pirates' attitude towards the Princess improved tremendously. No longer did they jeer and snarl at Zelda as she served them meals, and even Gwendolin spoke to the princess with a noteworthy degree of respect.

Link spent hours each day training with Kef and Gwen, learning to use a sword and even some of the secret ways of Shiekah martial arts. Gwen had even given Link his own hookshot, which could propel him all the way to the top of the highest mast in a flash. Link was already naturally strong and acrobatic from his danger-filled life as a thief back in the forest, and he learned the techniques of the pirates with relative ease.

Standing toe-to-toe with Gwen in a swordfight was no easy feat, and always the boy knew that the pirate was holding back her full strength when sparring with him, but that didn't detract from the incredible pace of Link's progress. Even the most seasoned of the pirates was forced to admit that the boy was gifted when it came to swordplay.

Scarlett had become withdrawn, rarely appearing in front of her crew, and passing down orders by proxy through Gwendolin. The pirates were accustomed to the Captain being mysterious and private, but Link knew that the real reason Scarlett refused to show her face had everything to do with him. On the rare occasion that he was in her presence, he could feel the Captain's stern, red eye upon him and it gave him chills.

He couldn't figure out why Scarlett was so hostile, though. Something about his ability to awaken from the deep, trance-like sleep of the Dreamworld seemed to make her irrationally angry, and he couldn't make sense of it. Whenever Scarlett spoke of her plans for the ancient treasure which they sought, her eye would acquire a glazed over, faraway look, and to Link she looked nothing like the angry pirate she usually seemed to be. There was a nostalgic kind of pain there, something dark and troubling, which the Captain kept hidden from the rest of the world as if it were the only vulnerability she had to protect. However, the curiosity of the Captain's behavior invited nothing but speculation, and there was no way Link could hope to guess what was really going on in Scarlett's mind without her giving him some kind of clue as to the nature of what this guarded secret might be.

One morning, the Captain announced that it would be one more night before they reached the Temple of the Mind, the next of the seven temples which their journey would lead them to. Link wondered what might lie in store for them there. The Temple of Life was rife with danger, and Link was sure that the Temple of the Mind would be no different, undoubtedly fraught with its own unique perils, though Link could not begin to guess at their nature. The whole day as he went about his chores his imagination was filled with exotic monsters, perilous traps, and devious magic.

As the sun was beginning to set, Link accompanied Gwen and Kef to the upper deck where they would be going over some last-minute combat training before the coming morning's excursion into the unknown. Zig went up to watch them, the components of his clockwork arm spread out atop a barrel beside him. With his working left hand he was busy at work constructing the thing, which at this stage in its assembly appeared nothing more than a skeletal nub of bronze-colored bone jutting from his shoulder. Princess Zelda sat beside him, watching Link and Gwen spar with a pleasant smile on her angelic face.

"I've never seen anyone so young fight like that, he's a real natural," said Zig, observing Link deliver a powerful jumping attack which Gwen glanced off the edge of her curved blade, "You really know how to pick 'em, Princess. He'll make a fine King one day."

"Excuse me?" said Zelda, her eyes wide, "Oh, no, you misunderstand. Link is my friend."

"Mmhmm," said Zig, tightening a bolt on his arm, "That's the best place for young love to blossom. You trust him. Can't fool me, Princess. I see the way you look at that boy; the way he looks at you."

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Zelda, but the blush on her cheeks betrayed her. Zig laughed, merrily.

"No judgment from me, Princess," said Zig, "We all need someone to care about when things get tough. No one likes to feel all alone."

"Someone should tell that to Scarlett," said Zelda, wryly.

"Don't make the mistake of thinking you know everything there is to know about the Captain, Princess," Zig chided her, gently, "Scarlett is a complicated woman. Leading the Shiekah is a huge responsibility. Her people count on her. Not so very different from being a Princess."

It bothered Zelda that she hadn't seen it that way before. Or perhaps she simply did not want to acknowledge that she had anything in common with the pirate. Either way, Zig's words struck a chord with the Princess, and she had to admit to herself that, if her kingdom or her people were threatened, there was not much she wouldn't do to save them. Was that what Scarlett was going through? Could it really be that her cutthroat exterior was just a front, a bulwark designed to protect her subjects from the dangers of the world? Fifty-some-odd pirates certainly didn't constitute a whole kingdom, but Zelda would gladly trade any treasure, even her own life, to save even one innocent subject. Had this same devotion, this same fear of failing her people molded Scarlett into the bloodthirsty pirate she was today? Was every threat, every dastardly, treacherous deed simply carried out in the name of defending that which was dear to the pirate's heart? If so, would Zelda turn out the same way?

She couldn't be certain. Scarlett had told her in the temple that she had to kill Zelda if it was the only way to reveal the treasure. She'd said that it was the only way to protect the things she cared about. At the time, Zelda had written it off as the words of a greedy pirate, driven to any lengths by the lust for treasure, but now she had her doubts…

"Zelda," said Zig, leaning closer to the Princess, "How well do you know the story of the Shiekah exile?"

"I only know what I've read in history books," replied Zelda, "I believe it was five hundred years ago, a Shiekah man tried to assassinate the King. Later, it was found that the Shiekah was working with the Gerudo, and the treachery sparked the Hundred-Year-War with the Gerudo that happened around that time. The King was so shocked by the Shiekah treachery, he banished the entire clan from Hyrule, and the Shiekah have been nomads, scattered to the four winds ever since."

"That is essentially correct, although there are some details missing from that version which some might consider important," said Zig, setting down his tools and giving Zelda his full attention, "The story really begins with a young Gerudo Princess by the name of Ruka. Tensions over trade routes had already been rising between the Gerudo and Hyrule Castle, and Ruka had accompanied her father, the Gerudo King of those days, to a diplomatic meeting where the intention had been to negotiate a truce between the two kingdoms. During this visit, a young Shiekah named Ryll met the Desert Princess, and fell in love with her at once. For the few days that Ruka was in Hyrule, she and Ryll were inseparable. It is said that their love was the purest ever known in this land or any other, but it was not meant to last.

"The negotiations between the two Kings did not go well, and the Gerudo King returned to his kingdom at once, taking his daughter with him. The two kingdoms began to prepare for war, but Ryll could not give up hope that he would one day be with Ruka again. Eventually, the longing became too much, and Ryll dressed himself up like a desert wanderer and snuck across the border into the desert, searching for his lost love. Brave Ryll snuck into the Gerudo keep, and defied death itself to see his Ruka once again. When he came to her, she was overcome with joy, but also sorrow at the thought of what might happen to him if he were discovered. With tears in her eyes, the princess urged the brave boy to run away and never return to that land, to forget about her and live out his days in peace somewhere far away from the coming war.

"Ryll would not forsake his love, though, and Ruka knew that there was nothing she could do to stop him from returning to find her. So, the lovers devised a plan to meet each month under the full moon in a secret cave near the canyon which divides Gerudo lands from those of Royal Hyrule. This seemed to work well for a number of months, but always the threat of the coming war hung like a dagger over their heads, and the lovers were never able to recapture the magic of those first blissful days in Castle town when they had fallen in love.

"One night when going to see Ruka, Ryll was followed by his older brother Kull, who had grown suspicious of his brother's monthly trips abroad. Tailing Ryll like a shadow across the plains, Kull was shocked when his brother's path led him to the Gerudo border. Silently he followed Ryll to the secret meeting spot, and there observed his brother consorting with the Gerudo Princess. Shocked by what he saw, Kull revealed himself, calling his brother a traitor to the crown for his secretive fraternization with the enemy. Ryll pleaded with Kull, but the elder Shiekah would not listen. The two of them fought, but in the end Kull was the superior warrior, and Ryll was struck unconscious. Ruka was now at the mercy of Kull, and the Shiekah decided he would abduct the Princess and deliver her to the Royal Family as a spy, in hopes of atoning for his brother's crimes.

"Ryll awoke to find himself back in Hyrule, and was devastated to learn of Ruka's fate. The Princess had been locked away in the dungeon under Hyrule castle, guarded by the most fearsome of the Shiekah's warriors. The King had decided that the girl was indeed a spy for the Gerudo, and decreed that she could not be trusted to return to Gerudo lands, for she may have learned things from Ryll that the Gerudo must not know if Hyrule was to be successful in the coming military campaign. Ryll disappeared that night, denouncing his brother and all Shiekah blood, and vowing to avenge Ruka. Ryll knew there was no way he could possibly save her from the dungeon, as the Shiekah guards who watched the Princess were expecting him, and they were of a skill far superior to his own. In desperation, the young Shiekah warrior decided he would assassinate the King, and face the executioner right alongside his beloved.

"Using all of his Shiekah skill, Ryll was able to break into the castle, and made it as far as the King's bedside before the Shiekah matriarch caught him. Ryll and Ruka were executed at dawn, before an audience of thousands, Ryll's own brother Kull among them. Word of the Gerudo Princess' death traveled on swift winds to her homeland, and the Gerudo rose up with fury in their hearts, beginning their war march that very morning. So shaken was the King's trust in his Shiekah protectors, and so furious was he about the coming war, that he renounced the ancient pact between the Shiekah and the Royal Family, casting the entire clan into exile. The rest is well documented in many Hylian history texts, but this is the true story of the fall of the Shiekah. It was the love of a young boy for a beautiful princess which caused us this great shame, and lead to the bloody Hundred-Year-War, which even today the Gerudo have not entirely recovered from."

"I can't believe that," said Zelda, shaking her head, "Why would the King execute the princess? He can't have really believed she was a spy. If what you say is true, then Ryll only did what his heart demanded that he do. He was only protecting what he loved."

"Perhaps that gives you a clue as to why many among our kindred still loathe the Royal Family of Hyrule," Zelda hadn't even noticed Gwen, Kef, and Link approaching, so engrossed was she in Zig's story.

"That's not fair though!" said Link, "It's not Zelda's or her father's fault what happened hundreds of years ago!"

"Nor was it the Gerudo people's fault that Ryll and Ruka loved each other, but Hyrule decimated them all the same. Now the Gerudo lands are barren and their people scattered. A king has not been crowned in the desert since then, and the women of Gerudo land struggle to form a solid government, while the Amirah's of the different tribes fight amongst themselves over who will lead," said Kef, "Nor was it the fault of any of we Shiekah who live today what the actions of our ancient ancestors were, yet still we live like nomads, drifting from kingdom to kingdom through the open sky, never making ourselves a home upon the ground."

"If it were within my power," said Zelda, "I would end the Shiekah exile, and welcome your clan back into my kingdom with open arms."

"And do you suppose your people would do the same?" said Gwen, "Prejudice against the Shiekah is more ingrained now in the minds of the Hylian people than even prejudice against the Gerudo. The Gerudo were always outsiders, and relations between the Desert and Hyrule have always been shaky. The Shiekah were once a trusted facet of Hylian Rule, a veritable hound that bit the master's hand. Reintegrating into Hylian society would be a harrowing thing to do for our kind."

"It does not seem fair," said Zelda, wilting a bit under the weight of the sad tale, "The legend said their love was the purest ever felt, and yet all it caused was death and sadness. Did you not say that trust and friendship were the best places for youthful love to blossom?"

"Even the purest love can end poorly," said Zig, "The only thing guaranteed about any decision that we make during the course of our lives is that it will have a consequence. Ryll had never suspected, when he loved Ruka, that it would lead to so much pain for those around him. How could he have foreseen that, by loving Ruka, he was dooming the Shiekah to exile, and the Gerudo to annihilation? Who are we to judge the value of Ryll's love, or the weight of its consequences?"

"There's something I don't understand," said Link, "Instead of trying to save Ruka, Ryll tried to kill the king. Why would he do that?"

"Ryll believed there was no way to save Ruka. It's unclear whether he even believed he could kill the king," replied Zig, "Many believe his motivation was simply to die at his lover's side. Of course, in Hyrule they tell the story differently."

"Love can drive a person to many things; even madness," said Gwen, "and the loss of a loved one can change a person completely. No more powerful force exists to shape our identities than the force of love. It is both a boon and a curse which no mortal is truly free from the burdens of."

"A force that shapes our identities…" Zelda's voice trailed, her gaze wandering off to the wheelhouse, where the stark silhouette of Captain Scarlett could be seen, one hand on the wheel, gazing intently at the oncoming horizon. Zelda couldn't help but wonder what did Scarlett love? Had she always been the cruel pirate she was now, or was there something more there that she didn't see?

"We should all get some rest," said Gwen, "We will reach the Temple of the Mind at dawn, and it's going to be a rough day for all of us."

Kef and Gwen began to walk away, and Zig was gathering up his tools and getting ready to head below deck. Zelda turned to head for her cabin, but Link caught her arm.

"Zelda," he said, "Whatever happens tomorrow, I want you to know I'll protect you."

She smiled at him, "Thank you, Link."

"C'mon, little green bug!" called Gwen, "Don't lag behind!"

"I'd better go," he said, releasing Zelda's arm, "Sleep tight!"

"You too…" she said, and she watched as he ran off to join the other pirates, disappearing down the stairs to the lower decks. For a while after, Zelda stood there watching the sun go down in the distant sky, and she didn't go to bed until she saw Captain Scarlett come down from the wheelhouse.


	9. Zelda's Lullaby

Chapter 9

The Zora river had run its course down from the ancient Kingdom of the Zora, West past Castle Town, across the expanse of Hyrule Field, and through the canyon which serves as the border line to Gerudo land, finally emptying out into the low basin of Lake Hylia, far to the South. For untold eons, it had been the primary source of all water in the kingdom of Hyrule, but recently the intense progress of industrialization in the city had made the water putrid and unfit to drink, and the pollution flowing down to Lake Hylia had made the once iconic and beautiful lake into little more than a dead marsh of standing, murky water.

The Zoras had pleaded with the King of Hyrule to end the corruption caused to the river by the monster of industry. They complained that the sky stank of smog and the rain was bitter and noxious. They warned that the trees and the grass would soon follow, for they knew that, save for the sun in sky, water was the most key and primal component to all life. They urged the Hylians to think of the health of the fish they ate, the livestock they kept, and even their own children who would breathe the air and drink from the river. They said all of these things, in a voice strong enough to be heard from the lowest canyon to the highest peaks of Death Mountain, yet for all their effort their pleas fell upon deaf ears. Eventually, the Zora could bear to watch the corruption of their sacred river, the very place of their birth, no longer, and they left the land of Hyrule, never to be seen again.

That was nearly seventy years ago, back when Zelda's grandfather had been king. He hadn't been an evil man, but the fire of industry is an all-consuming flame, and many lost sight of what was vital in nature when tempted by the fruit of new discovery. For some, life in Hyrule had never been better. The machines in the factories produced goods at an alarming rate, and Hyrule was able to export things on a scale never seen anywhere in the entire world. For the first time the kingdom was expanding, and gathering wealth unlike any that had been amassed in history.

There was an imbalance in the kingdom, however. The upper classes, the politicians, lawmakers, and owners of factories and warehouses grew wealthy and fat, while the poor only grew in number, their skin hanging off their bones with the weariness of malnutrition. The readily available conveniences of industrial society, the increased output of manufactured goods, and the amassing of wealth caused the population to rise exponentially, but the supply of food and water could not match the growth. Soon, Castle town was relying on external sources for its consumable goods, and the pollution in the river caused the farm land to shrivel up. The ancient homestead on the big hill in Hyrule field, the oldest farm in the entire country, was forced to close down because the dwindling grass could no longer support the cattle. Eventually, the derelict homestead burned down, causing a wildfire of tremendous proportions, which was only contained well after over eighty percent of the surrounding fields had been scorched. This furthered the problem of pollution in the sky, and unbeknownst to the limited view of modern science, this began to have adverse effects on Hyrule's climate as well.

It was decades before the land could be tilled again, and when that time came the bulk of Hyrule field had been converted into wheat fields, which were more sustainable and yielded a better supply of food than what was realistic with livestock. Grains alone were not enough to support the nutrition of so many workers though, and many would develop weakness of the bones, a condition known as rickets. The city couldn't expand its facilities to accommodate the increase, either, and many people were forced into unsanitary living conditions, and deprived the basic necessity of a safe shelter against the weather.

So the Kingdom did not heed the warning of the Zoras, and it seemed that the Hylians were laying in the bed they'd made for themselves. The Zoras, however, were not so foolish. When they left Hyrule, they went to lands old and forgotten to the decadent Hylians. Places only they knew of, places where only the rich history of a society which still respected the natural world could lead.

The Temple of the Mind, according to legend, had been raised from the depths of a massive lake, even greater than Lake Hylia, by the Zora sage, Princess Ruto, thousands of years before. The legend passed down by the Zora said that Ruto had created the temple through the sheer force of her own will, and it had stood as a bastion of safety for her people for millennia, until eventually it was deserted and used to hide a piece of the ancient treasure which was forbidden from the sight of any mortal being by the will of the sages.

Seventy years ago, when the Zora left Hyrule and its sad, murky waters, they had built a new domain in the depths of the ancient lake, standing guard before the temple, and there their people thrived once again. Peace was with them once more, and together with the spirits of nature they made a life as glorious as that of old in those forgotten, sacred depths. Some called it the new golden age of the Zora, and few suspected that it would not last forever.

Over the bow of the Stalfos, link could see a body of fresh water larger than any he had ever laid eyes on. Islands dotted its surface, and the coast curved away in such a slight arc, he could have believed he was looking upon another ocean.

"Lake Termina," said Scarlett, scanning the surface of the lake carefully with an old brass spyglass. She snapped the thing shut, and turned to regard her landing party, "So named for the fictional fairytale realm of Termina, a place which legend says lies somewhere in the aether adjacent to Hyrule, a beautiful reflection of our own world. The Zora who discovered this lake named it after Termina because when she stood upon its shores she felt like she was gazing into another world. That same Zora, the sage Ruto, was the founder of the Temple of the Mind, which even now slumbers somewhere beneath the depths of this very lake."

"Beneath the lake?" asked Link, "How are we supposed to get to a temple that's under a lake? I can't breathe under water."

"No one can, genius," said Gwendolin, "That's why we have these."

The pirate gestured to the shimmering blue Tunic which she was wearing. Link, Kef and Zelda, and even Scarlett had donned one of these flashy costumes, the shimmering blue clashing electrically with the shocking red of Scarlett's hair and the rest of her ensemble.

"These tunics are made from Zora scales," explained Gwen, "As long as we wear them, the ancient magic which spawned the Zora long ago protects us, and we can breathe under water as easily as if we were in the air."

"They also shield us against the cold. That water is nearly freezing at the bottom," added Kef.

"Yes, our problem won't be the water," said Scarlett, "It'll be whatever is living in it."

Link checked his belt to make sure the Zora tunic was secure. It didn't fit as snugly as his green tunic, which Link much preferred, but Zelda had stolen it away claiming that it needed washing badly. He had protested at first, but he didn't mind as much when he noticed that Zelda had taken to standing much closer to him since he'd traded the weathered garment for the pristine Zora tunic, which, it seemed, had never been worn before.

Link looked a great deal different than he had when they had set out from Hyrule castle nearly two weeks before. His hair had grown longer, his arms were gaining muscle from his constant training and working on the Stalfos, and there was a sharp sense of purpose in his blue eyes which made him look old enough to be one of Scarlett's Shiekah pirates. He had refused to take one of the pirates curved cutlasses, finding that he naturally favored the more traditional Hylian long sword, which Scarlett kept a number of in the Stalfos' armory. The sword was nearly as tall as the boy, but he swung it in his left hand as if it were a mere feather. It hung on his back in a leather baldric, ready for him to draw at a moment's notice. At his side, the hookshot Gwen had given him hung on his belt.

Link watched as the Stalfos came into a low hover over the lake.

"Ms. Gwendolin, if you please," said Scarlett.

"My pleasure, Captain!" said Gwen, saluting before taking a running jump and diving gracefully into the pristine water below. Her form was flawless, and she barely made a splash as she went slipping beneath the rolling blue.

"Try to keep up, little bug," said Kef, patting Link on the shoulder as he rushed past and making his own leap into the frigid water. Kef's dive was less graceful than Gwen's, but still quite impressive.

"Ok, boy," said Scarlett, "You're next."

"Right," Link nodded, "Here goes nothing."

He took a few steps back, summoned all of his courage, sucked a deep breath of air into his lungs, and threw himself over the side of the ship wildly. The air went rushing past, and the water came hurtling up to meet him. He moved into a divers pose, pointing himself like a spear aimed directly at the lake. SPLASH! Under her went, and it was as if he had been born into a strange new world.

The clear blue water surrounded him, seeming like an endless void, no horizon, just a deeper saturation of blue until you could see no further, like a distant fog. Far below him, the floor of the deep lake was barely visible, and thick forests of kelp waved at him like strands of grain being brushed by a gentle breeze. Schools of fish were winding around like massive, animated clouds, their myriad of rainbow scales reflecting every color of the spectrum in dazzling shimmers as their erratic motions caught the sunlight from every angle.

"Beautiful!" said Link, but all that came out was bubbles.

Gwen went swimming up to him, hovering in front of him in the water. The pirate tapped her ear and Link nodded knowingly. Then, she gestured for him to follow. He swam after her, swishing his legs and arms in the manner of a frog. Up ahead, Kef had already made some headway, almost to the kelp forest. Link began to feel nervous about the idea of venturing inside the underwater wood.

No sooner had Link's mind began to concoct images of all the perils that might wait for them under the deceptively peaceful cover of underwater plant life than a great blue fish came speeding from the brush like a torpedo headed straight for Kef. Link watched in terror as Gwen and Kef both drew their swords, the blades dragging slowly through the water with a dreamlike quality.

The man-sized fish was upon Kef at once, and it quickly became apparent that it wasn't a fish at all, but rather a blue-and-white skinned Hylianoid creature, razor fins jutting from its elbows, and flanking its waist like a skirt. Its head was elongated, ending in a tendril like appendage the shape of a dolphin's tail, which trailed gracefully behind it as it swam. The strange creature was carrying a trident of considerable length, which it jabbed at Kef.

The pirate was agile and a decent swimmer, so he was able to dive under the creature's attack with relative ease. Kef brought his own sword up to swat the trident away. Gwen was almost with them, and it appeared that the two pirates would overtake their strange attacker before Link could join the fray, but right at that moment a group of four more of the things came streaming out of the Kelp. Link wanted to scream, but all he could do was blow bubbles.

Watching as the group of fish-men swarmed around his companions, Link suddenly remembered his own combat training, and he unhooked the Hylian sword from its baldric and brandished it as best he could. Underwater, the sword felt light in his grip, but swinging it was a different story. The resistance the water provided made for a slow and ineffective attack. Nonetheless, Link swam forward, seeing no option but to come to the pirate's aid.

Gwen fought viciously, even under the water. She twirled around in a full circle, swishing her curved blade through the water as if it were no handicap at all. The tridents of her attackers were knocked aside. The fish-men dispersed like a swarm of bothered flies, then came barreling back at her with all the ferocity of hunting sharks.

Kef and Gwen each glanced off the jabs of two more attackers, but Link felt his heart jump as another one came rushing up, poised to skewer through Gwen's back like a piece of bread on a fondue fork. Link couldn't get there in time! He let his sword drop from his hand, the blade floating away into the depths of the lake, and drew his hookshot, firing wildly in the direction of Gwen's assailant.

Success! Through sheer luck, Links shot hit true, and the barbed chain of the hookshot snagged the forks of the trident, and brought it sailing right out of the creature's hand. The fish man went barreling into Gwen, harmlessly, and the pirate was in the clear… but Link now had a trident flying at him at incredible speed! The boy jerked to the side, trying to whirl out of the way of the approaching projectile, but he brought the chain of the hookshot with him and the path of the trident was thrown off ever so slightly. The handle of the thing caught him across the gut, and he gasped in pain as the wind was knocked out of his lungs.

Link flailed hectically, twisting around in the water, and found himself looking up at the sparkle of the sun in the sky high over the surface of the ancient lake. Up above, he could see the bulky shadow of the Stalfos, and the rapidly descending form of Scarlett, and… Zelda!

The princess was glowing golden; her arms splayed out like a descending angel, and from around her neck shone a light of brilliant white. A sound seemed to accompany the light, traveling through the water with no distortion, as if carried on pure, sweet air. It was a melody, haunting and beautiful, the melodic piping of some unseen ocarina. Link glanced around for some source to this noise, but what he saw was all the more amazing.

The fish-men were no longer attacking the pirates. Each one of them had lowered his trident, and they were all locked in a gaze of reverent awe focused directly on princess Zelda. One of the creatures swam up to the Princess, his weapon pointed down in a non-threatening manner. He floated in front of her, and gave a graceful underwater bow, flourishing his fins spectacularly.

Link looked on in confused amazement, unsure of what to make of this bizarre turn of events. The fish-man took the princess' hand and Zelda allowed herself to be led along. As the pair went speeding past Link gave the princess a look of utter bewilderment. Zelda smiled brightly at him, trying to say something as she was dragged deeper into the water, but all Link could hear was the glub-glub of rising bubbles. Seconds later, Scarlett went swimming by, and gestured for the boy to follow. At a loss for any other option, Link obeyed.

The strange aquatic men led them over the top of the forest of Kelp, and nearly a league past it, and all the while Link marveled at the graceful movement of their unexpected escort. Once during the trip he looked over to Scarlett, who only shook her head and carried on. Link couldn't guess at the nature of the strange fish-men, but he supposed that if they were going to kill them they would have gotten it over before rather than go to the trouble to lead them anywhere.

After swimming for what seemed like hours, they came to a place where the root of an island rose from the depths like a distant mountain. All along the wall of rock that was the island's base, there were hundreds of little caves, and Link could see an entire village worth of fish-men swimming from portal to portal. Some who had caught sight of them stopped to point and stare, murmuring to each other in some form of speech his Hylian ears could neither decipher nor detect.

The group of fish-men led them into one of the caves, Zelda and her escort in the front. The cave was wide, and well lit by glowing, bio-luminescent anemones which clung to the sides of the walls at regular intervals as if they had been placed there purposefully. A couple hundred feet in, the underwater tunnel shifted ninety degrees straight up, and Link could see the sparkle of a thousand lights glittering every color of the rainbow from somewhere above the surface of the water overhead. They swam straight for the light, eventually emerging in a cave, and Link was happy to feel the cool of air upon his face once again.

The cave was gorgeous! A low ceiling, slightly domed, was dotted with a king's ransom in natural gemstones. Orbs of liquid light, like massive glowing pearls, floated over pointed pylons of unusual design, ringing the circular pool they were now treading in. Zelda's guide began to speak, and as he did his voice echoed off the walls of the cave so that no one had any trouble hearing what he said.

"Welcome to Zora's Domain, Princess of Hyrule," said the fish-man.

"So it is true!" cried Zelda, "In Hyrule the stories of the Zora's secret haven in a faraway land are considered to be mere rumors. Many have supposed that the entire Zora culture had vanished from the face of Hylia entirely!"

"Hidden, perhaps, but not vanished," said the Zora, "Here beneath the waves of Lake Termina, we Zoras have made a home a thousand times more glorious and beautiful than that which we left behind in Hyrule. Here we have stayed for nearly seventy years, and it has been our labor of love to cultivate this land to the very pinnacle of Zora potential."

"Happily met, uh…" Zelda blushed a bit, "I did not catch your name, I am sorry."

"Kato," replied the Zora, "I am the Marshal of the Kelp Forest, and I lead the Zora Guard. You must forgive my soldiers for attacking your companions. When we saw a pirate ship above the waves, we had assumed that more plunderers had come looking for treasure in the depths of the lake, but never did we suspect that among them would be a member of the Hylian Royal Family. Princess… ?"

"I am Zelda Nohansen Hyrule, Princess of the Kingdom of Hyrule," said Zelda, brightly, "and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, noble Marshal. If it is not too much trouble, we would seek an audience with your king."

"But of course, my lady," said the Zora, "Please, come ashore, dry yourself. We are largely separated from the amenities of the upper world, but we still have the famous Zora sense of hospitality, and I urge you to make yourself comfortable. I will inform the King of your arrival, and arrange for you to meet with him presently."

They climbed out of the pool, and Link was happy to have his feet on the ground again, but dismayed when he remembered that he had lost his sword somewhere in the depths of the lake. The Zora soldiers led them down a cavern corridor, floor flat and smooth as polished pearl, ceiling arched and craggy, and bristling with stalactites.

"Captain, do we intend to let the Princess deliver us into the heart of this kingdom of sea serpents without so much as batting an eye?" Link heard Kef whisper to Scarlett, who had remained unusually quite during this whole ordeal.

"Silence, ye daft fool," hissed Scarlett, "These Zoras are powerful magicians, and a hundred times the warriors we are when under the waves. Zelda has connections to them, and she's a trifle better at conversing with royalty than any of the rest of us. It's best if we take a back seat for the time being, supposing we want to suck air above sea level again in our lives."

Link was stunned to hear Scarlett admit weakness. The Zora really must have been powerful. If Zelda hadn't have done whatever she did, then they might have made a very sudden and bloody end to their quest right there on the floor of that lake. Link dashed ahead, catching up with Zelda.

"Zelda!" said the boy, as he ran up alongside the Princess, "These Zoras are really out there. Even Scarlett seems afraid of them. You were really amazing! How did you know what to do back there?"

"Honestly," said Zelda, turning to Link, "I did not. I just kind of... guessed."

"What?!"

"Yes," said Zelda, smiling, "That song was a lullaby my father used to sing to me when I was very small. He told me it was very special, and that only members of the Royal Family were allowed to know it. He said that if I ever found myself far from home, and in need of proof of my heritage, all I had to do was sing that song."

"A lullaby!" cried Link.

"Mmmhmm," hummed Zelda, gliding on down the hall with the noble gait of a Princess. Link stood there for a moment, stunned. Then, he threw his arms up in the air and shrugged. After jumping off a flying boat, breathing underwater, and fighting trident-wielding fish-men, it seemed as good an explanation as any. He jogged down the hall to catch up with Zelda, and together they followed their escort onward to the inner sanctum of the beautiful domain of the Zoras.


	10. Honest to Goddess Piracy

Chapter 10

They had walked along shimmering corridors of coral and abalone, a hundred million shades of pink, moss green, sunflower yellow, and oceanic turquoise. In places, the pathway narrowed, and standing pools of crystal water held little isolated pockets of habitation, teeming with fluorescent, pulsating anemones and slow creeping crustaceans. It seemed that the Zoras had no boundaries between their homes and nature, and barnacles of tremendous size clung to the walls, their growth completely unchecked.

Eventually, they came to a room, wherein a kind of table had been made by way of setting a piece of glass over the half-shell of a giant clam. It was surrounded by stools of pink coral, carved and polished to marble smoothness.

Upon the table, a feast had been laid out for them, a cornucopia of underwater delicacies strange and exotic to Hylian palettes. Boiled crab and lobster claws, raw fillets of tuna, bass and salmon, sautéed scallops, bright red roe, crispy chips of kelp, whole baby octopi, and flame grilled steaks of shark were piled up on a bed of long-grain rice. The Zora who had guided them there went to one of the coral stools and pulled it out to offer to the Princess.

"Your Highness, and her esteemed colleagues, please be seated and enjoy this trifle of local favorites while you await His Majesty, King Zora."

"Thank you," said Zelda, curtseying daintily. The Princess sat down lightly on her stool, and moved it in carefully and quietly, sitting with perfect posture.

Link and the pirates approached the table as well, each grabbing a stool and dragging it under them with a clattering scrape. Link planted his elbows on the table, leaning in to inspect the food. Kef leaned back on his stool, balancing on two of its legs. Gwen lounged, her legs sprawled, unladylike. Scarlett drew a dagger from her belt, skewered a shark steak with it, and proceeded to gnash away noisily and open mouthed.

"Yes, well," said the Zora, looking taken aback, though only Zelda seemed to notice, "Please, help your selves. His Majesty will be along shortly."

The Zora disappeared back into the sparkling corridor that had brought them there, leaving the party alone once more in the strange domain.

"Were you all born in a barn!" exclaimed Zelda.

"Close," said Gwen, "A pirate ship."

"Remember when we were kids and we used to hold our tongues and say that?" said Kef, sniggering, "I wath bord on a pile of…"

"That is quite enough!" said Zelda, alarm in her voice, "We must keep our manners in mind. We are meeting with royalty. You can't just go around acting like a bunch of barbarians. Link, I'm sure that you… oh Goddess!"

Link was slurping the tentacles of a baby octopus into his mouth, chewing with one eye squinted weirdly. He chomped on the thing like a ball of gum, and began to try to talk with his mouth still full of cephalopod.

"Ish not thath bad," sputtered Link, passing the thing from one side of his mouth to the other, "S'chewy."

"That's it!" said Zelda, throwing her arms in the air. She sat her elbows upon the table and let her face rest in her palms, looking downtrodden, "We're all going to be executed, you realize."

"Lighten up, Princess," said Scarlett, jabbing the point of her blade into one of the salmon fillets, "Here, have a bite. Gotta keep yer energy up. No telling how long we'll be down here."

The pirate shoved the piece of fish at Zelda. It glistened wetly, the rich pinkness of the meat still fresh and pungent. The Princess felt a lump rise in her stomach.

"Oh, no, I couldn't possibly…"

"Ah, Princess Zelda!" a booming voice suddenly made its presence known in the room. Link, Zelda and the pirates all turned to regard the new arrival. They were startled to see a Zora of immense proportions, both taller and wider than any they had yet met. His shoulders were adorned with a ruby-red cape of comically miniscule size. Atop his catfish head a sort of golden headdress was perched enigmatically, looking more like a golden mohawk than an actual piece of headgear. The tip of it, just over his forehead, was adorned with a sparkling ruby the size of a coconut and expertly cut. Beneath his incredible bulk, tiny stilt-like legs carried him, only adding to the general ridiculousness of his overall appearance. "I am pleased to see that you are a fan of Zora sashimi! There are no finer or fresher examples of seafood anywhere in the known world. The salmon is particularly lovely. Go on, try it."

"Yeah, _Your Majesty,_" said Scarlett, her voice gilded in syrupy, malicious joy, "Go on, _try it_."

"Oh, ok," said Zelda, laughing nervously, "Well, if you insist."

She shot the pirate a stabbing glare as she clutched the handle of the dagger and snatched it away. She only allowed herself to appraise the shiny hunk of uncooked meat a moment longer before furrowing her brow and snapping one dainty bite off the corner of the fillet. It was cold and slimy, and tasted of pungent fishiness which her taste buds were completely unaccustomed to. She chewed the thing slowly and deliberately, feeling it gush between her molars, and she had to stifle a hiccup to gulp the wad of chewed up seafood sickly down her gullet. In her mind she could hear it plop down in the depths of her stomach with an awful splash, and once the ordeal was over she felt as though she had just been forced to swallow a slug. She smiled weakly.

"How is it?" asked the King, expectantly.

"Mmmm," hummed Zelda, insincerely, trying with all her will to keep the choking substance down. King Zora did not seem to notice.

"Aha! Yes, a lovely salmon. Truly the pinnacle of Zora culinary mastery," cheered the King, striding regally around the table and planting his massive posterior upon one of the coral stools. It was nothing short of amazing that he was able to balance on the tiny thing.

"You must forgive my soldiers for their rudeness in greeting you," the King went on, merrily, "Of course, there was no way they could have guessed that it was you! This is quite an unexpected and pleasant surprise."

"I'm shocked that it wasn't _more _hostile," said Scarlett, unabashed by the presence of a king, "As I recall it, things between the Zoras and Hyrule were shaky at best when last the two encountered one another."

"Do forgive me, but you are… ?"

"Scarlett Delahaye," replied Scarlett, proudly, "Captain of the airship Crimson Stalfos."

"A pleasure, I'm sure," said King Zora, "Well, Captain Delahaye…"

"Captain Scarlett, if'n ya please," snapped Scarlett, and then when she saw the way everyone stared at her she softly added, "_Your Majesty_."

"Quite," said King Zora, blinking, "Indeed, Captain Scarlett then, I can see by the symbol you bear on the patch over your eye that you are of Shiekah descent, am I correct?"

"Aye."

"Well," said King Zora, "As I recall, the Shiekah and the Royal Family have a history even more precarious than that between the Royal Family and the Zoras, yet here you sit at the side of their Princess. Clearly, things in Hyrule land have changed in many ways in seventy years. The Zora are a peaceful people, and we do not easily forget the alliances we forged so very long ago. Perhaps there was a time when many Zora, even the old King, were angry with Hyrule, but here in Zora's Domain we live a peaceful and utopian life, and want for nothing. It would be pointless prejudice to turn away the Princess of such an old and noble kingdom based on a disagreement which approaches a century in age."

"Well, you're right about one thing," said Scarlett, crossing her arms, "Things in Hyrule have changed quite a bit."

"So tell me, Princess," said King Zora, turning his attention away from Scarlett, "To what do we owe this momentous occasion, where the Royal Family of Hyrule once again calls at the door of its sworn brethren, the Zora, for the first time in seventy long years?"

"I wish I had pleasant news for you, Good King," began Zelda, wistfully, "The truth is that all is not well in Hyrule. The evil wizard Nyarlath has put a curse upon my father, and convinced my people that I am a traitor. He seeks to usurp the Hylian throne from my family, and has spoken of his intentions to bring about some sort of cataclysm which will affect all of Hylia. I can only guess as to the nature of this coming calamity, but one thing is certain: Nyarlath must be stopped."

"I see," said King Zora, his fishy eyes bulging wide, "Truly that is terrible. I am sorry to hear that your father is in such mortal peril. Of course, the Zora are at your disposal, but dear Princess... what can we do to help you?"

"We have come to this land seeking out an ancient treasure," said Zelda, "A shard of a powerful relic which rests under the waters of this lake."

"A shard you say?" said King Zora, twirling his mustache-like barbel around one of his webbed fingers, "Hmm. But you couldn't mean the treasure of the Temple of the Mind, could you?"

"Aye," said Scarlett, a gleam in her eye, "One and the same."

"I am sorry, Princess," said King Zora, "But the Zora are sworn to never let that treasure fall into the hands of mortals again. Even our high priests cannot lay eyes upon it. Its removal from the temple is absolutely out of the question. I will aid your land and your people in any way that I can, _except _that way. It would be a massive breach of tradition. I'm sure you understand."

"Actually, we don't understand!" said Scarlett urgently, clapping her hand upon the table, "We traveled a long way to get that shard. It's the only thing that can break the sleeping curse. We cannot leave this realm without it!"

"Princess, I must ask you to control your subjects!" cried the King, "This is highly inappropriate."

"I in't anyone's subject," growled Scarlett.

"Scarlett, please!" urged Zelda, "Good king, I do apologize. We have no intention of being rude. We really must have the shard though. The seven shards of this treasure, when assembled, form a powerful weapon which no evil can withstand. I believe it to be our only hope in defeating Nyarlath. He has grown so powerful, and I fear that his sights will not be limited to my Kingdom. If he is not stopped then we are all in danger!"

"There is a reason why the Sages of the last era sealed this treasure away!" replied King Zora, "It is not a thing for mortal hands to hold. It was broken up based on wisdom more ancient and profound than you could imagine. Who are you to question it? A mere mortal princess? The will of the Sages is the will of the gods, and you would do well to remember it."

"If we don't do something, Nyarlath will kill everyone," said Zelda, "Don't you understand? We have no choice. We need the power of that weapon."

"I'm sorry, Princess," said King Zora, "It is simply out of the question. This conversation is over. I am a very busy Zora, and I have other matters to attend to. This visit has been most intrusive and most rude on your part, Highness, but I forgive you. You are only Hylian after all. If you are weary from your travels, rooms will be prepared for you to rest, but I must respectfully ask you to leave Zora's domain in the morning and do not return with any more sacrilegious requests or you shall not find me so amenable to your presence in my kingdom!"

The King rose from his stool, his fishy nose held up pompously, and he waddled out of the room as proudly as one can waddle out of anything.

"I'd like to scale and debone that bottom-feeding catfish," said Scarlett.

"Your attitude isn't helping anything!" snapped Zelda, "The way you were acting, I'm shocked he didn't have us killed right there at the table. You can't just go blurting out whatever comes into your head when you're a guest in someone else's castle! He is a King, he can do whatever he likes to us."

"I'd welcome him to try," sneered the pirate, "And don't ye be forgettin' who the Captain is here! Jus' cause we find ourselves proverbial fish out of water at the moment doesn't make me any less responsible for keeping you eating when we get back to the Stalfos."

"We're not getting anything done by sitting here fighting with each other," said Link, "I think Zelda is right, we need to have a better attitude about this. Let's apologize for being rude and accept his offer to stay the night, and we won't bring up the shard again…"

"…until the morning once he's had a chance to warm up to us a bit better! Perfect, I love it," Zelda cut in, "Now that's thinking diplomatically, Link!"

"Actually, I thought we would sneak out of our rooms in the middle of the night and steal it," confessed the boy.

"Link!" said Zelda, shocked.

"Now thar be a plan I can get behind!" cheered Scarlett, "I like the way you think, boy."

"What if we get caught?" said Zelda, "They'll lock us up forever, maybe even kill us, and then we'll never get the shard!"

"Sometimes ya gotta break some eggs, princess," replied Scarlett, picking some shark out of her teeth with the end of her dagger, "We don't have the option of leaving the shard here, and we don't have the time to spend a week wooing the _good _King Zora into seeing things our way. Link's right, our only option is to catch them off guard and get out of here with the treasure before they can do anything to stop us. You ready to participate in some honest-to-Goddess piracy, Princess?"

Zelda crossed her arms and scowled, but there was nothing left to be said. As much as it bothered her, Scarlett was right.

* * *

The hours ticked by with a kind of nervous anxiety that Zelda was altogether unfamiliar with. She smiled awkwardly as she lied to the soldier who came to fetch them, extending her most gracious apologies to King Zora and stressing that she didn't know what they had been thinking upon making such a rude request. _Of course _they couldn't take the treasure from the Temple of the Mind. Obviously, this would be foolish heresy. Surely they could come up with some alternative way to save the king.

Zelda had never lied like this before. She had told meager and paper-thin lies to her father, in the usual way children do when they are young and still establishing boundaries, but the King was an honorable man, and had instilled in Zelda a deep rooted sense of duty. Lying didn't even occur as an option to her, and being coerced into the action by a gang of murderous pirates left a bad taste in her mouth.

Yet, it had been Link who had made the suggestion, after all. She had looked on the boy as being wholly pure and innocent, considering the simple and often whimsical way he viewed the world with an unending sense of optimism. This, she told herself, was proof of the necessity of their actions. There wasn't time to do things the proper, diplomatic way. The Zoras would understand once Nyarlath was defeated and the danger of his rule averted. Then they would see the error of keeping the shard hidden away, and they would pardon Zelda for her misdeeds.

This she told herself, and yet, as she stood alone in the private quarters she had been assigned, staring out the thick pane of oceanic glass which peered out into the depths of the cool blue lake, she felt as though she had betrayed a part of herself she would rather have held onto. Each day since the terrible night that Nyarlath had locked her away in the castle dungeon, she had felt a little bit more of her own innocence slipping away, and the world was looking less and less a hopeful place to live in. Was this what it felt like to grow up, she wondered? Would the coming years see a darker and darker tarnish on her perspective, until the whole world seemed nothing but a jaded gem, its once stunning and epitomic beauty forever lost to the cruel hand of time?

When she was a child, she had enjoyed sitting in the castle courtyard making necklaces out of flowers by weaving the stems together. Her father would watch her, and laugh merrily as she slipped one of the wreaths over his neck, and the petals fell in his mane of wavy brown hair. Things had seemed so bright back then. Her father was a beacon of safety, strong and courageous and untouchable. Nothing was more powerful, more loving, or more dependable. Now, it seemed that even that strength had been tarnished, and her father lay helpless and asleep, unable to help her in her most dire moment of need.

Anger welled up in her, and she was surprised to find it there. She found difficult questions surfacing in that feeling. Why had the King allowed a madman like Nyarlath into the castle in the first place? Why did he trust the old Wizard? Could he not see that it was an evil beast, a sower of seeds of destruction, which he allowed to share his table and stalk his halls? He had done nothing to stop the wicked man from taking his Kingdom, and, despite his constant promises that he would be there for Zelda any time she needed him, that time had finally come and he was _not_ there.

As the sun set somewhere on the surface of the lake overhead, the water darkened for a few minutes, but then sprang to life new and beautiful. For miles over the floor of the ancient lake, bio-luminescent anemones were unfurling like budding flowers in the deep nighttime water. They were like a million stars, twinkling cosmically on the alien horizon, their electric fronds waving in the gentle pull of the currents. Across the domain of the Zora, families were swimming back to their hovels and coves, preparing for their nightly sojourn into the curious lands of sleep. Zelda desperately wished she could join them. In her dreams, her father was still strong, still in control, and she never had to tell any lies to anyone.

Several hours passed, and Zelda was beginning to doze when the knock she had been waiting for came at her door at last. She slipped out of the clam-shell bed she'd been resting on, throwing aside the odd fabric of the bedspread, and creeping over to the door as silently as she was able. She undid the lock and cracked the door ever so slightly.

"Who's there?"

"It's Link," whispered a figure from the shadows of the hall, "Come on, we gotta hurry!"

Zelda stepped out into the hall. The anemones that usually lit the halls of the maze of caves that made up the central structure of Zora's Domain were all extinguished, and the cave stretched away into darkness in either direction. Zelda had been separated from her friends upon being led to the bedroom, and had no clue where Link and the pirates had been brought to.

"Link?" whispered Zelda, "How do we see our way around?"

"We scraped some of these off the wall in our room," said Link, producing a little glass jar from the pouch on his belt. Inside, there were brightly glowing tiny versions of the blue anemones which Zelda had become used to seeing as lighting in the halls of the Zora realm. "It seems like they stay lit until you touch 'em again. Don't know how they know, but it's pretty neat."

"Where are the others?"

"They're waiting for us," said Link, "Scarlett thinks she figured out how to get to the temple. Come on, we should be quick so that we don't get caught. You're still wearing your Zora tunic, right? Good. Come on, take my hand."

Link led Zelda along the winding corridors of Zora's Domain, stopping at corners to peer cautiously for the lights of roving guards who might be out and about. They encountered nothing, but the silence and sheer tension of the night kept Zelda's heart hammering away in her chest.

After a time, they came to a hallway which Zelda thought she recognized by the dim light of Link's bottled torch. Moments after Zelda felt this sense of déjà vu her suspicions were confirmed as they emerged into the circular room with the standing pool of water that was the mouth of the underwater tunnel they had come in by. A blue light twinkled in the dark cave, and Zelda could make out the lithe forms of the pirates, standing around a group of fallen Zora. Zelda opened her mouth to gasp, but Link quickly clapped his hand over her mouth.

"Shh! Don't worry," said Link, "They've been pricked by a dart dipped in a Gerudo sedative. They're out cold, but they'll wake up on a few hours good as new. Scarlett's idea."

"As long as they aren't dead," whispered Zelda, "I'll break a couple rules to save my kingdom if it is the only way, but I will not become a murderer of innocents."

"Took you kids long enough," said Scarlett, "I don't think we have more than ten minutes before the next patrol comes through, and if we keep putting 'em down like this eventually someone is gonna grow wise to our little plan here. I figure the tunnel we need to take is about two hundred feet down from here, so we'll need to swim as fast as we can. It won't be long before they find these guys and after that we'll be sure to have them on our tail. Our only chance is to get to the temple and grab the shard before they can catch up. And we'll have to find another way out, because this way is sure to be swarming with the little urchins by then."

"How are you so certain that the temple is down there?" asked Zelda, skeptically.

"The old legends say that Princess Ruto, the ancient Zora sage, summoned the temple forth from the floor of the lake, and that it was like a glorious castle of living coral. When the temples were used to hide the shards of the treasure, many of them were abandoned by mortals and reinforced with traps, exotic monsters to act as guards, and in some cases significant geographical changes in order to make the temples less reachable to those who would seek to plunder them. My guess is that the land mass we are inside of, with all its networks of caves and tunnels, is actually built on top of the temple in order to hide it," explained Scarlett, "When we were on our way in, I counted the leagues we traveled, and kept a bearing of our direction in my mind. If my sense of location hasn't failed me, and it never has in the past, then we should be right where that temple is supposed to be, in the center of the lake. Partway through this tunnel, I noticed a fork which led down further below, and I put two and two together."

"I suppose that makes sense," conceded Zelda.

"It's the best plan we've got, so there's no point in worrying about it," said Gwen, "We had better get a move on though, before more soldiers show up."

The five of them took to the water with a gentle splash, swimming down into the inky depths with only the hazy glow of the bottled anemones to guide them. The tunnel felt longer than it had coming in, in no small part thanks to the anxiety of knowing they were not supposed to be there. They found the tunnel deserted, and had no problems reaching the place where a smaller tunnel forked off and led yet deeper under the waves. Zelda had not noticed this pathway on the way in, it was so small and well concealed by the jutting rocks which surrounded it. It was a marvel how perceptive Scarlett was despite being down one eye.

The path became very narrowed down this deeper tunnel, and they were forced to line up single file, pushing off the claustrophobic walls of the passageway to move them along. Small crustaceans and tiny fish went scattering away at their approach, the light from their bottled anemones clearly alien and confusing to the little creatures. Whatever this tunnel lead to, it was not commonly frequented by anyone.

Deeper and deeper they went, finding nothing, until they were well past the 200ft mark which Scarlett had predicted. There was no sign of the Captain's course changing, and onward they plunged for several minutes into the deep, until Zelda was beginning to feel that they could not possibly be headed in the right direction. The Princess was about to protest, when they emerged into a cave so wide that they could not see the walls by the light of their meager lamp.

Scarlett motioned in the hazy darkness for the rest of her team to follow, and silently they descended through the water in steady strokes.

It came rising out of the darkness like a ghost from the forgotten past, high spires of gnarled pink coral twisting like the shells of mighty sea snails. It was a magnificent palace made of solid coral, seamless and carved clean out of one massive reef. Its gates shimmered with an eldritch glow, dimly lighting the water around it. They swam towards that shimmering gate, and as they came closer Zelda could see by the light of their anemone lamps that the portal appeared to be wide open and unprotected, its mouth leading directly into a dark and cavernous fore chamber.

Scarlett was the first to reach the threshold, and Zelda was surprised to see the pirate go sliding through a kind of viscous membrane, arriving on solid ground on the other side of the portal as if the temple somehow contained its own private bubble of air behind the invisible barrier she had breached. As Zelda stuck her own arm through the doorway, she could feel cool air chilling her damp clothes and felt relieved as she came to rest her feet on solid stone once more. Soon, they were all standing in the threshold of the ancient temple, breathing in cool fresh air without the assistance of their magic tunics.

"Just as I suspected," said Scarlett, "Welcome to the Temple of the Mind."

As Scarlett said this there was suddenly a bright flash, and the walls of the temple began to etch themselves in lines of fluorescent green, illuminating carvings of ancient hieroglyphs, murals of extravagant design, and complex patterns of mathematical intricacy. The vibrant emerald light was enough to light the entire room, and they could see now that they were standing at one end of a massive heptagon, the side they'd entered on flanked by two solid walls of coral, and the remaining three sides opening into high, arched doorways which led off deeper into the structure.

"Who turned the lights on?" said Gwen, drawing her sword, "Could the Zora have already been waiting for us?"

"No," said Scarlett, "No, this temple has been awoken by our presence here. It is the Temple of the Mind, after all. I suspect its reading our thoughts like an open book even as we speak."

"Readin' our thoughts?" said Kef, "Oooh, I don't like the sound of that. I don't want no creepin' fish monsters pickin' my brain!"

"I'd be worried about more than our brains!" cried Link, "Look!"

Up ahead, through the center passageway of the old temple, a pair of monstrous claws the size of a carriage was gripping the sides of the archway. Pulling itself in on skittering legs of armored blue, its antennae whipping around erratically and eye stalks stretching to peer at them, a lobster the size of a small house was approaching. It clacked its mandibles, and a trail of sickly looking foam came drooling out of the offensive orifice.

"Look alive, crew!" called Scarlett. The pirates brandished their swords, forming a semi-circle around Link and Zelda. Link's hand went to his baldric, but there was nothing there. He'd forgotten, he'd lost his sword somewhere in the lake! He thumbed the handle of his hookshot, but the weapon seemed pointless to try against such a thickly armored foe.

The monster was upon them in seconds, its clicking legs making a horrible scrabble on the stones of the temple floor. The emerald green of the magical wall etchings cast a terrifying light on the thing, and it wasted no time in groping for them with its gigantic pincers. Gwen met it at a charge, swinging her sword, but the beast caught the blade and gripped it in one fierce claw, twisting it free of her grasp. Scarlett swung hard at its arm, but her blade bounced harmlessly off the thick armor of the lobster's carapace.

"It's too tough!" cried Scarlett, "We can't hurt it with these weapons!"

"Come on, yah great ugly bastard!" screamed Kef, running up to jab the thing's face with his blade. The tip of the cutlass barely chipped the shell of the massive crustacean, and it lunged with its free claw to snip at Kef's leg. He only barely managed to escape amputation.

"It's no use, we've got to fall back further into the temple!" shouted Scarlett, seizing Zelda's arm and dragging her along. Link did his best to keep up, glancing back to see Kef and Gwen dodging around the monster, narrowly avoiding its horrible claws. As they all rushed past, the monster turned with surprising swiftness to follow them, and Gwen was forced to leave her sword. Making a mad dash, the group chose one of the pathways, the one on the right, at complete random.

"Hurry, before it catches up to us!" cried Scarlett, her and Zelda taking a considerable lead. Gwen went flying past, but Link was still glancing back over his shoulder for Kef. The other pirate was moving to catch up when the toe of his foot caught an irregularity in the stone, and he went tumbling onto the ground.

Link stopped in mid run and went back for Kef.

"What are you doing, little bug?" cried Gwen, then she noticed Kef lying face down on the floor, "Kef!"

"I gotcha!" shouted Link, grabbing one of Kef's hands and wrenching him to his feet.

"You gotta leave me, I twisted my ankle!" said Kef, struggling to keep his feet. Any pressure on his right ankle made him hiss with pain, and Link could see that the pirate could not run.

"No, I won't leave you!" said the boy. The massive lobster was approaching steadily from the end of the passage, and Link didn't have time to think. He pulled the hookshot off his belt and pointed it up to the rough coral ceiling of the temple. Kachink! –the hook went barreling out of the little tube and lodged itself securely into the coral, and immediately Link was being pulled into the air. The lobster snapped at him menacingly as he flew up over its head, but it missed him! The chain of the hookshot contracted completely, bringing him all the way to the ceiling before clicking back into place and dropping him right on the monster's head.

The thing began to thrash about immediately, swinging its claws in wide arcs and spinning round on its clattering legs.

"Ahhhhh!" screamed Link as the crustacean bounced him around like a bucking bronco.

"Boy!" cried Scarlett, "Catch!"

She had drawn her dagger from her belt, the same one which she had fed Zelda salmon from earlier, and tossed it at Link. The boy leaned as far as he could off the side of the beast, grabbing blindly at the air as the monster continued to flail. He caught the thing by the handle, whirling it around in his hand into a stabbing position, and brought it down hard on the soft spot beneath its eye stalk. The thing shuddered in noiseless pain, unable to scream. Its claws slammed into the rough coral of the walls, crumbling pieces away. Link gripped the shell of the beast for dear life.

"Link, hang on!" shouted Zelda, but there was nothing any of them could do but watch the monster stomp around, flailing the poor boy every which way.

The beast staggered into the wall again, causing flakes of coral to fall from the ceiling, and part of the wall to crumble away. The rough floor began to crack apart, and Link could feel the ground somewhere under the beast beginning to cave.

"It's falling!" he screamed.

"Link!" Zelda tried to run to him, but Scarlett had her arm tight. All the Princess could do was watch helplessly as the floor below Link and the beast began to cave more and more.

"Boy!" cried Scarlett, "Stay alive. We _will _come for you."

Link didn't have time to respond as the last of the coral supporting him and the beast went tumbling out from under them. There was a tremendous rumbling as the floor below them caved entirely, and down they fell into gaping darkness, Link and the giant crustacean, hand over claw over foot.


	11. The Temple of the Mind

Chapter 11

It was a long way down.

The lobster's carapace made horrible chipping and cracking noises as it scraped along the narrow walls of the temple. They went crashing down three stories into utter blackness. Link felt the icy-wet air streaming all around him, the chunks of the damaged beast hurtling past in the dark. A prong of loose coral caught his arm and gouged a sizeable cut up his bicep. He screamed at the pain, gripping the shell of the lobster tighter to keep from being flung into the wind.

After a fall that seemed to last minutes, the thing hit the floor with a wet crunch, throwing Link head over heels. He clutched the handle of the dagger desperately. It was still stuck into the pocket beneath the crustacean's eye, and it was just strong enough to support him as he dangled there. The sick, wet feeling of the monster's mandibles at his knee startled him, but he quickly realized that the thing was now quite definitively dead.

The lights came on suddenly so that he had to wince at their emerald glow. The same lines of green energy he had seen in the entry hall began to creep like spider's webs across the walls and ceiling, each vibrant vein of color bringing light into the world of darkness.

This was a narrow hallway, its length bending away in a bow shape in each direction, and dozens of doors lining the wall on the inner side of the curvature. The door closest to him had been thoroughly destroyed by their fall, but he would only have to travel a few feet down to reach the next one.

He reached up with his other arm, gripping the dagger tightly in both hands, and braced his feet on the crustacean's massive claws to give him leverage. With a mighty heave he pushed his feet out and pulled as hard as he could on the handle of the blade. It came free with a grizzly popping sound, sending Link flying to the ground back first. He gasped in pain as his tailbone made contact with the hard, unforgiving coral, and it was a few moments before he could pull himself to his feet and dust himself off.

Link peered up through the hole he had left in the floors above, and darkness peered back at him. Bits of coral and dust were still pouring down like a gentle drizzle of sandy rain. There was no sign of Zelda or the pirates.

"I gotta stop falling through ceilings," said Link to himself, stowing Scarlett's dagger away in his belt. He turned to gaze down the hallway, his hands on his hips, scanning for his next course of action. He began by trying the nearest door. It was a tall and narrow door with a square shape, its surface hewn from a rougher stone than the coral of the rest of the chamber, and carved with intricate pictographs of fish and other aquatic animals. Link could discern no handle. He reached out and brushed the cool stone with his fingers, testing the grooves of the carvings for some sort of hidden lever or button that might open the thing.

Where he made contact with the door, the stone began to glow the same emerald as the veins of light on the walls. Link felt a tingling sensation of electricity creeping up his arm. As he wondered about how the door might be opened, it was as if his very intentions became manifest. The heavy stone began to slide down, revealing the path ahead.

"Wow," said Link, "The temple really does read your thoughts."

The room beyond the door was a large, circular room with a low ceiling made mostly of thick sheets of glass. The glass formed massive windows, which looked out into the deep, dark water of the cave. Link could see angler fish, glowing eels and menacing crustaceans creeping along beyond the glass, but the creatures took no notice of him.

Stepping into the room, Link was not surprised to find that the walls sprang to life with the webbing of green etchings just as the other chambers of the temple had. The walls to the left and right of him were lined with more doors, confirming his suspicion that all the doors in the hallway he'd fallen into must open into one central chamber. Link's focus was immediately brought to one door which dwarfed the rest, which was almost directly across the room from him, although a little to the right hand side. If there was a path to the most central chamber of the temple, the chamber likeliest to hold the treasure, Link thought it must be through that door.

As he crossed the shimmering floor, each step lit up dazzling emerald and darkened again when his foot left the ground, each contact making a ripple of energy like stones dropping on the surface of a pond. Overhead, between the huge glass windows, the ceiling seemed connected to the upper floors by hollow tubes of coral, which were too far above for Link to reach them. He thought about using the hookshot to climb up, but decided that Zelda and the pirates couldn't have stopped moving forward, and that it would be pointless to try to backtrack now to find them.

The double doors Link headed to were far too massive to be pushed open, but thankfully Link's intuition served him well. All he had to do was stand in front of the door and concentrate on its opening and soon the massive slabs of stone began to glow with emerald light and slide away as if being pulled by invisible giants.

Beyond that ancient and gargantuan portal, a great hall lay open and silent. Link took a few tentative steps in, the only sound the soft echo of his own footfalls off the high ceiling and distant walls.

The chamber lit up dazzlingly!

Statues of Zoras bearing luminescent anemones sprang to glowing emerald life. The spider veins of eldritch green illuminated the floor of the path ahead with thrumming electricity. Pillars which lined the path erupted in dazzling flames of sparkling green.

Link could see that the path ahead was a narrow outcropping flanked by dark pits of questionable depth. The path ended abruptly in a semi-circle platform bearing a single podium, but not before passing under the massive, hollow skeleton of some ancient sea creature, whose ribcage made marvelous arches to travel under. Link stared up at the tremendous old bones as he walked beneath them, drawn forward by the pure awe of the scene.

At last he reached the podium. It was about three feet high, slanted towards him, and its surface glowed with eldritch green runes at his approach. He inspected them, and was surprised to see that they were in plain-as-day Hylian, just as if they had been carved yesterday. The inscription was short and concise, and simply read: "Death comes not for the dreamer."

Link peered cautiously over the edge of the path, staring down into the darkness of the pit beneath him. There was no bottom in sight. He glanced back at the doorway he'd entered by. There was nothing there, but if he used the Sleepstone now he would be completely vulnerable should someone come along. He considered his situation for a moment, but came to the conclusion that he was without option. Impa had told him that he should trust his own judgment with concerns to the use of the stone, and he was inclined to want to believe her. He sat down, his back to the podium, and drew the little glowing stone from his pocket, holding it in front of himself in his palms.

"Slumber," he whispered.

This time, the shift of the kaleidoscope was marvelous and intense. The emerald light cooled to cerulean, the darkness of the temple became bright and glorious, and the rough-hewn walls of coral became smooth and glamorous. Water rose to fill the bottomless void which surrounded him, and behind it came dazzling light. No longer was the surrounding pit a gaping, silent darkness, but rather a pool of crystalline water, illuminated brightly by some untold light source deep below. The statues lost their age-old tarnish, and were suddenly bright golden, their glowing anemones traded for vases of water which poured endlessly into the crystal pool in a procession of masterful fountains.

More bizarre than any of this, however, was the sudden and unexpected presence of a massive fish, its blank-eyed, goggle stare fixated directly on Link, its wet and snorting nostrils only an arm's length away from the boy. Somehow, in the Dreamworld, the ancient skeleton Link had seen in the chamber had sprung to life!

"I welcome you to my chamber, Hero of Dreams," spoke a voice in Link's head which was not his own.

"Ahhh!" screamed the boy, scrambling to his feet and backing up against the podium. He looked down, where his feet were sunk partially into his own sleeping body in a ghostly sort of way, and the combined shock was enough to make him a little dizzy.

"I did not mean to alarm you, young hero," said the voice, "I am Jabu-Jabu, God-Elemental of the ancient Zora. I am your ally, and have awaited you in this place for eons."

"Wait a second," said Link, staring in horror at the giant fish, "You're talking to me?"

"In a manner of speaking," replied the thing, "I am communicating with your mind directly, and your brain is interpreting my meaning in a way you can understand: spoken words."

"Ok, weird," said Link, relaxing a little, "So you're a God?"

"God-Elemental," said Jabu-Jabu, "A nature spirit which the old Zora once prayed to for calm waters and plentiful fish. I was once the keeper of the spiritual stone of water, which I gifted to the first Queen of the Zora on the day of her wedding. The royal Zoras kept me in their old domain, where I stood sentinel against the corruption of that realm for centuries, until a malevolent illness of magic fell upon me, and I perished from the World of the Waking. The Zora Princess who attended me at that time did not forget me though, and when she built this temple she brought my bones to rest here in this chamber. The entire temple is a conduit by which my mind is able to live on here in the Dreamworld."

"The Temple of the Mind," murmured Link, "Okay, I think I might get it. So the whole temple is like a big mind reading machine? That some ancient princess built centuries ago so that she could talk to her dead fish? God? Elemental? Thing?"

"Your concept is somewhat crude, but not inaccurate," replied Jabu-Jabu, emotionless, "That was the original purpose of this structure, yes- that I might communicate with gentle Ruto even after my demise, that I might guide her to fulfill her destiny as a Sage. My purpose has changed in more recent millennia however, and I now lay in wait for the Hero of Dreams who will come to claim the shard of the sacred weapon from its shrine here in the temple. You, Link, are that hero, and it is my task now to guide you in your next step."

"What about my friends?" said Link, "Zelda and Scarlett and the others, are they okay?"

"You are worried. Do not be," said Jabu-Jabu, "The Princess Zelda and her Shiekah companions have a part yet to play in all that is to come."

"But where are they now?"

"They are coming to save you. They face a great trial in doing so," said Jabu-Jabu, "You must accomplish your own trial, or you will not be able to help them when they come for you."

"What must I do?"

* * *

Zelda and the pirates had followed the hall the only direction they could, the floor leading back to the entry room being completely caved in. Kef groaned in pain as they hobbled along with him, arms over Scarlett and Gwen's shoulders. Zelda stayed as close to the pirates as she could, trying not to think about what might be happening to poor Link tumbling down into darkness with the giant lobster.

The hallway terminated in another heptagonal chamber, encircled with statues of Zora women. There was only one other exit to this chamber, another hallway which angled itself in the opposite direction from the slant of the one they'd just entered by. The group stopped for a moment to catch their breath, setting Kef down on the cool coral floor with his back against the pedestal of one of the statues. He grunted painfully.

"How is it?" said Gwen, testing Kef's ankle with her fingertips. The pirate winced and swatted Gwen's hand away.

"Easy! That's still sensitive!" hissed Kef, "I don't think it's broken," he added, shifting his ankle experimentally. The gentle movement shot a spike of pain of his leg, and he cried aloud, "Son of a! Ok, yeah, it's not broken, but I sprained the hell out of it."

"Is it too much to ask for you to pay attention to where you're running you damned fool?" said Scarlett, "This is just perfect. We lost our ringer and now we've gotta lug around a cripple. Goddess divine, I don't know how my day could get any better."

"Zelda, can you use your magic?" said Gwen.

"I'm sorry," said Zelda, "In order to use the Light of the Goddess there must be sunlight. Down here in the dark there's no way to cast the spell."

"Doesn't that just figure," said Scarlett, "Gods only help you when it suits them. Who needs them?"

"Captain, we need to keep moving," said Gwen, "The Zora could be right behind us. We don't want to get caught off guard down here."

"You're absolutely right, Ms. Gwendolin," said Scarlett, "Here, let's pick up the lug and get going. I don't see anything down the next hall. Princess, you stay close by, you hear? If it comes to a fight, Gwen, you fall back with Kef and Zelda. Kef, give Gwen your cutlass, it isn't going to do you any good now."

The pirates obeyed their captain mechanically, and in moments they were hobbling down the next hallway with Kef on their shoulders. The hall was narrow and glowing with emerald veins, just like the one they had come from, but as the end came into view they saw that the chamber it opened on was much larger than the one where they had rested at the foot of the statue.

They emerged into another heptagon, its ceiling higher up and made of domed glass which looked out like a skylight on the dark, subterranean water. The platform they appeared on was the top of a landing of stairs, and as the eldritch green spider webs crept to catch up with them, they traced the ornate bannisters which curled silently to the floor below.

Zelda went to the bannister and peered over. Below, a circular chamber awaited them. Its walls were devoid of proper doors, but rather did strange sort of pods glow emerald green from the recesses of half-pipes in the coral which were arranged vertically on the side opposite the stairway. At the center of the room, a podium of coral stood, its top already glowing with emerald runes.

"Down there," said Zelda. Scarlett came and glanced over the bannister.

"That podium must be some kind of control panel," said Scarlett, "Come on, let's get down there and see what we can do."

They descended the stairs quickly, and at the bottom they propped Kef up on the lowest step. Scarlett went to the podium immediately, scanning the runes with her one red eye.

"The minds of the worthy must submit to the judgment of the gods. Only the rightful will pass," read Scarlett, "Judgment? I don't like the sound of it."

"What does it mean?" said Zelda, approaching.

"I can't be certain, but I think it means that we have to pass some kind of test in order to proceed," replied Scarlett, "And judging by those pods on the wall, I'd say that we each have to handle this on our own."

"You mean we have to climb into those things?" said Gwen, pointing Kef's cutlass at the glowing green pods.

"Do you have a better idea?" asked Scarlett.

"What about Kef?" said Zelda, "He cannot get into one of those things on his own, and how is he supposed to pass any tests with his ankle twisted? We cannot go that way."

"Yes, you can," said Kef, "Look, I'm just dead weight anyway. If you leave me here now, probably the Zora will find me, and while they can't be terribly fond of us at this point I don't think they'll just slaughter an unarmed man. They're too peaceful and civilized for that. They'll probably drag me back up to their castle and throw me in a jail cell. Worst comes to worst, at least that gives you a chance of maybe breaking me out."

"What if the Zora do kill you though?" said Zelda, "We cannot just leave you here!"

"We're going to have to take the risk," said Scarlett, "It's not a fun decision, but if we wait here then they're sure to get all of us, capture or kill as they might. We have to press on."

"How can you be so cold? Is it easy for you to just abandon your own crew like this?" cried Zelda, not believing her ears.

"Look, Princess," said Scarlett, seizing Zelda's arm and dragging her roughly to the pods on the wall, much to the Princess' dismay, "One day, maybe, ye'll know what it's like to have to make calls that affect how people live and die. Maybe one day ye'll have to know what it's like to keep yer composure under significant emotional distress. Then, my dear Princess, you may judge me however you see fit. For the time being, get your ass in that Goddess-be-damned pod!"

Scarlett grabbed Zelda's tunic by the collar, and tossed her into the pod without a bit of hesitation. Zelda tried to scream, but the sound was stifled as the glowing green walls of the pod closed up around her. She was alarmed to learn that they felt quite slimy. Then, everything faded out to a blinding, all-consuming white…

* * *

"You must descend to the depths of this pool," said Jabu-Jabu, "There, you will find the pathway which leads to the chamber of the spiritual stone. Inside, you will find the treasure which you seek. It may only be reached by one who walks in dreams such as you do."

"I understand," said Link, turning to face the pool of crystal water, "Okay, I'm going in. I'll be back in a flash!"

With that the boy went diving into the water, kicking his legs and waving his arms in the froglike swimming stroke he'd grown accustomed to. The water seemed serene and devoid of any other creatures, but as he reached a lower depth he spotted something he had not seen before: a cylinder of rushing bubbles, like an underwater jet aimed straight up at him. He struggled against this new current, kicking and swiping, but he was unable to gain any further depth. Eventually, he rose to the surface in frustration.

"Jabu-Jabu," said Link, the moment his head breached the surface of the water, "I can't swim any deeper. There's no way for me to get to the bottom!"

"The manifestation of your dreaming mind has been your companion thus far," responded Jabu-Jabu, "Call upon it, and it shall give you the strength to venture forth."

"Manifestation of my dreaming mind?" said Link, drawing a blank. Then, suddenly, he remembered, "Oh! Here boy!"

Links whistle echoed magnificently along the walls of the shining temple, and it was answered by a proud roar which reverberated with the force of a turning airship engine. In a graceful bound, the clockwork dragon went sailing over the top of Jabu-Jabu, landing in the water beside Link with a splash. The resulting waves pushed the boy away, and he had to dive under the water for a moment to keep from inhaling the coming torrent. For a moment, the water was still and silent. Then, something came barreling up from underneath him, lifting Link into the air.

He was astride the dragon once more, but its aspect had shifted again into something new, strange, and beautiful. No longer was it comprised of brass and cloth and wood, nor was it draped in leafy fronds and growing moss. When the head of the thing breached the water, it revealed its new, cetacean shape. Its nose was bottled, the nostrils flared, and it opened its mouth to show rows of dagger-sharp, conical teeth. A wet, pink tongue lolled happily from the mouth, and the creature let out a dolphin trill of unconstrained excitement. Its wings were next to rise, brilliant butterfly sheets of lace, wafting over the water like the curtained fins of crown-tailed betta fish. It turned its head to regard Link, and its shining, rubber-skinned neck was long enough to turn all the way around and face the boy on its own back. It hooted and clicked at him merrily.

"You're just full of surprises, aren't you?" said Link, patting the dragon on the head.

"Now go, hero! There is not a moment to lose. Danger approaches your friends quite rapidly, and you will want to be there to meet them when it arrives," urged Jabu-Jabu.

"Right!" said Link, and then he gripped the dragon tight. The beast seemed to know what he wanted without him making a sound, and the dragon whipped around and dove deep under the water. The last part of it to disappear was the magnificent fluke tail of shining silver.

* * *

She was swaddled in darkness, and felt small and alone. Something important had been happening to her; she remembered that much, but it all felt so hazy and faraway, as though it had been a mere dream of another life from which she had awoken.

Zelda pushed the covers away, letting the bright light of the sun shine on her face. She yawned and stretched, rising from her lush pink bed to greet the new day. Outside, Castle Town rested serenely under skies of brilliant cobalt. She went to her dresser and selected her favorite dress. Today she would get her father to come down to the courtyard with her and play. She was determined not to let his 'kingly duties' get in the way.

Dashing down the hallway on shoeless feet, she felt the velvety carpet of the castle halls crush between her toes. She rounded a corner at full speed, ducking between the legs of two servants carrying loads of freshly laundered towels. One of them shouted at her plaintively, but she paid no heed.

Up the spiral stars she leapt, two at a time, careful not to step on the diamond-shaped pattern on the carpet, for those were the dangerous ones which every child knew would turn the ground into boiling lava. She clutched the orb of gold which marked the end of the bannister, and used it as leverage as she flung herself down the hallway of the upper floor. Her father's bed chamber was at the end of the hall. She would burst in and jump on him until he woke up and took her down to the courtyard.

Something was wrong though. The closer she came to the bright, white double-doors which led to the King's bedroom, it seemed as though the entire hall was stretching around her. Soon, the doors and windows which lined the hall seemed taller than the factory smokestacks that kissed the sky, and outside it seemed that the sun itself was dimming like a fading candle. Motion was becoming slow and thick, and the faces of the standing guards became gaunt and pallid. Zelda found herself striding along as though urged by some irrefutable force, but no longer was the joy of morning at Hyrule Castle in her heart. She continued with a terrible, sinking fear rising in her all the while, and by the time she reached the massive doors her eyes were streaming tears.

The doors swung open of their own accord, revealing the King's chambers to be shadowy, dark as night, with no defined walls or ceiling or even a visible floor. Only the King's bed stood within the room, illuminated by a nonexistent spotlight which seemed to bathe every feature of the massive bed with a kind of evil, sterile glow.

Zelda approached the bedside, trembling.

"Father?"

"Zelda," said the King, his voice barely a rasped whisper. The Princess came closer so she could look on him, and was horrified to see that his face too had become gaunt and pale, and his rich brown hair had turned grizzled and white. He gazed on her through half-lidded, bloodshot orbs, and the lines in his face made him look ancient and withered. "My dear daughter, come to me."

"Father," whimpered Zelda, between sobs, "Father, we were supposed to go down to the courtyard. Will you not get out of bed, father?"

"I'm sorry, my dear," rasped the King, "I just don't have the energy. My bones feel too weary to lift me. I fear that I must slumber… slumber…"

The King's eyes closed gently, and did not reopen. The Princess gripped at the sheets around him, shook him as hard as she could and cried and cried. There was no response. The King had fallen into a deep and unbreakable sleep.

"This is your fault, little girl!" the voice belonged to a teenage girl, who came slinking from the darkness somewhere behind the King's bed. Only her pointing hand came completely into the light, and Zelda saw her own silken pink glove holding out the accusatory digit her direction. The figure took a step forward, the light casting on its grinning face. It was Zelda! She was older, and her eyes were narrowed in anger and passion, and her grin was maniacal, but the Princess knew her own face when she saw it.

The older version of Zelda came traipsing around the bed, all the while holding out that pointing finger, until it was close enough to touch the younger her on the nose.

"You were not strong enough. You could not protect him," said the older Zelda, "Now he will die all alone, and you have done nothing to stop it!"

"No!" cried the little Zelda, "No, I will not let him die. He cannot die!"

"He is already dead, pathetic girl!" shouted the older, "He is dead, and he is not coming back, and now you are all alone. How will you be Queen? Sniveling little scared brat. You should be worrying about your people and your kingdom, and instead you sit whimpering in the shadows pining after your poor daddy. You are a disgrace to the Royal Family. It is a blessing on your father that he does not have to live to see you lead his beloved Hyrule into the ground!"

"It is not fair! I did not even have a chance to learn anything," cried the younger Princess, "He just left me. How am I supposed to just become a Queen all of a sudden? I am just a little girl. I should not have to do this yet…"

"That is right, little Princess. Make excuses. Cry. Blame your poor, sick father for your own shortcoming," the older Zelda scowled, "You could not even get the Zora to give you the treasure you need to save him. If it were not for those miserable pirates, you would be long dead. You are useless."

"Pirates," said the younger Zelda, trying her hardest to remember, "Pirates! Scarlett and Gwen! Link!"

"You cannot help them either," urged the older, "You only screw things up. They are better off without you. Better you should just die now and get out of everyone's way!"

"No," said the younger, "No! I will not die like this! It is not my fault that my father was cursed! It was Nyarlath, that horrible traitor. I will not rest until I take back my kingdom from him! I will not give up!"

Suddenly Zelda was alone again, and the King's bedroom had faded away. She was no longer a little girl; she _was _the teenage version of herself which had been scowling at her. The memories came flooding back, and suddenly she could see the temple deep under the waters of the Zora lake, and she remembered Link, lost somewhere in those murky depths.

Reality seemed to come back in a bright green flash, and she was being expelled from the liquid confines of the pod Scarlett had thrown her into. She choked air into her lungs, and the burning sensation that ensued told her that she had not been breathing normally inside the pod. Rubbing the strange liquids from the pod's interior off her eyes, she caught her first glimpse of the room she was in.

It was a circular room, its ceiling a low glass dome and its walls lined with many small doors of solid stone. At one end of the room, a set of massive double doors stood wide open. Taking a look at the wall behind her, Zelda assessed that she had been expelled from a strange coral tube protruding from the ceiling. She looked around for any sign of Scarlett or Gwen, but there was none.

After a moment of panicked wondering and trying to decide if she should wait or go on without the missing Pirates, a blazing green light appeared at the mouth of another one of the coral tubes, and seconds later it spat forth a glob of the glowing, viscous green liquid which Zelda had been engulfed in upon awakening. Zelda rushed over to find the wet and suffocated form of Scarlett lying limp on the ground. The Princess pushed the pirate onto her back, and Scarlett woke with start, sputtering thick globs of the mucous-like substance onto the ground. Her hand went to her cutlass, and Zelda had to duck as the pirate swung the weapon wildly.

"Get back!" screamed Scarlett, "You hear me, you old witch! Get back! I won't go out like this!"

"Scarlett!"

Zelda's scream had startled the pirate out of her maddened daze. Scarlett peered around the room with the wonder of a newborn seeing the world for the first time. Her grip on the cutlass relaxed, and the weapon went clattering to the ground. Scarlett fell on her knees and began to whimper pathetically.

"Scarlett, what happened?" gasped Zelda, coming to the pirate's aid. She tried to lay her hand on Scarlett's shoulder, but the Shiekah lashed out violently, making the Princess stumble backwards.

"Get away from me!" screamed Scarlett, "Don't touch me."

For a moment they sat there in silence, the only sounds Scarlett's ragged breathing. The silence was broken only by the arrival of another green glow at the mouth of one of the tubes. Gwen came sliding out, covered in the same emerald slime as the others had been.

"Oh," Gwen tried to push herself to her feet, hacking and coughing against the gross, "Oh, Goddess. I'm alive."

The pirate got to her feet, and it took her a moment to take in her surroundings. Her eyes met Zelda's and all the Princess could do was nod at Scarlett. Gwen caught sight of her captain, kneeling near the center of the room, and she went bounding up to her side.

"Captain," gasped Gwen, taking Scarlett's arm and forcing her to rise, "Captain, get up. We have to keep going."

"I _saw _her, Gwendolin," said Scarlett, reaching out to clutch her first mate's collar, "She was right there in front of me."

"I know, Captain. I saw her too," said Gwen, "It was all in our heads though. It's gone now. We have to keep moving."

"Right," said Scarlett, clasping Gwen's hand, "Of course, you're right. Okay, let's go…"

The Captain glanced around to get her bearings.

"Okay, that way," said Scarlett, pointing, "That way, through the double doors."

They followed Scarlett's directions, crossing the circular room and emerging through the double doors into the vast chamber where Link had found the podium and the skeleton of Jabu-Jabu. The room was already brightly lit by the eldritch glow of the emerald runes, but it did little to penetrate the absolute darkness of the pit below or the lightless depths of the lake past the skylights overhead. Zelda saw one thing which the lights did illuminate, however, and when she spotted it she went running.

The fallen shape of Link, slumped up against the podium, had given Zelda a heart attack, but she sighed with relief as she arrived at his side to discover he was still breathing steadily. Gwen and Scarlett were only seconds behind her.

"He's asleep again?" said Gwen.

"Aye," said Scarlett, examining the runes on the podium Link was resting against, "Much how I thought he would be. Somehow this whelp is able to enter the world of dreams and return from it at will. He has gone into the Dreamworld to find the shard, I'd wager."

"So what, he's just been laying here having a nap this whole time?" said Gwen, "What if something had come along and found him."

"Something did," replied Scarlett, "Us. And we're gonna wait here and protect him until he wakes up, because it's our best shot at making this hellish trip worth it."

"That's it, we just wait?" said Gwen, "What about the Zoras? What if they catch up to us?"

"Then we'll fight 'em to the last," replied Scarlett, determined, "And if we die, at least we die with a sword in hand."

"I do not think it is the Zora we need to be worried about," said Zelda. Scarlett looked at the Princess, and her eyes were locked in horror on the skylight overhead. The pirates followed her gaze, and saw what made her tremble in terror.

Extending like vines of pulsing flesh through the darkness of the water, tentacles the width of redwood trunks were snaking around the glass. Huge, purplish suckers gripped the surface of the skylight, and a monstrous beak of obsidian stone went gliding through the sunless void. The hellish maw of the beast opened slowly, showing a glowing light beneath, and as it widened to its full extremity it revealed a giant, sickly eye which was alight with eldritch purple magic. Its grip on the dome of glass overhead tightened, and a splintering fissure erupted along the smooth surface, running the whole length of the room.

"That thing!" cried Scarlett, fear in her voice, "Its Nyarlath! He's found us!"


	12. Nayru's Love

Chapter 12

Zig watched the still waters of lake Terminia intently, his white eyebrows furrowed together, and his eyes squinted against the distant, rising sun. Scarlett and the others had been gone for nearly a full twenty four hours, and since that time Zig had not left the deck of the Crimson Stalfos. He sat there, working diligently at the reconstruction of his clockwork arm, and gazing out at the open water for any sign of life.

"Acting Captain!" a pirate had appeared at Zig's side, saluting him. Zig waved his hand to signal an 'at ease' and the crew member relaxed.

"Report?"

"Sir, there has been no sign of Nyarlath or any Hyrulean forces approaching," replied the pirate, "Engines are running steady, and with present fuel reserves we can remain airborne for seven days before a return trip to refill our coal stock is necessary. No sign of Captain Scarlett or her landing party off the starboard."

"They've been down there for nearly a whole day," replied Zig, still watching the peaceful lake, and wondering darkly about what might be going on beneath its tranquil surface, "I don't like it. There's something wrong."

"Should we go down after them, sir?" asked the pirate, peering over the edge of the deck at the deep water.

"Even if we knew where exactly to search for them, we can't," said Zig, "There aren't any more Zora Tunics. We wouldn't even be able to get close to the lake bottom. We don't have a choice. We just have to sit and wait for as long as we can."

Zig scanned the horizon one more time before dismissing the pirate. He scooped a screw driver up from the top of the barrel beside him, and went back to adjusting his clockwork arm, which now had the appearance of a full upper arm of tarnished brass, ending in a slightly morbid skeletal forearm and hand. Somewhere in the distance a seagull cawed.

* * *

Kef had never been the kind of pirate anyone paid much heed to. He was exceptional at what he did. He was sneaky and he was agile, he was dexterous and he was level-headed. There was a certain pension for horseplay and practical joking in him, but after all he was barely in his twenties, not that most people noticed. His gruff appearance and thin wisp of a goatee made him have the generic appearance of a person perpetually in his early thirties, and the grizzly scars on his arm and across his chest and neck which he had picked up from a wolfos several years ago only added to the illusion.

As he sat on the steps of the stairway of the pod room, somewhere deep down in the Temple of the Mind, he did a quick personal inventory of his belongings: One pouch of pipe tobacco, soaked, unusable. He hadn't meant to bring that. One serrated dagger, stolen off a merchant in Kakariko village, his favorite. Thirteen rupees, a lucky number, if you're a pirate: Never go ashore with less than 13 rupees in your pocket. One silver flask of deku-barrel rum, medicinal, needed at the moment.

He untwisted the cap of the flask and let more than half the amber liquid go sliding down his throat. It burned marvelously, warming him from his core. He hissed at the acidic feeling, running one hand through his messy brown hair. He had discarded his bandanna a while ago after Scarlett, Gwen and Zelda had left.

He settled back on his elbows, wincing at the pain shifting positions caused in his hurt ankle. He laughed miserably at the feeling, knocking back the rest of the rum in one swig.

"Well, Kefforo, looks like your number is up, bud," said the pirate to himself, "It was a good run. Always said you'd die young. Guess it wasn't just bold talkin', huh?"

The sound of footsteps came echoing from above. Kef twisted as far as his torso would let him without moving his bum leg and looked back up the stairs. A Zora soldier appeared at the top of the stairs, silvery trident in hand.

"Here's one!" said the Zora, pointing the trident at Kef. A whole battalion of the spear wielding fish-men came clamoring down the stairs, and they promptly made a circle around them. Kato the Kelp Forest Marshal was among them. The tall Zora approached Kef with his trident held out threateningly, staring down his scaly nose at the pirate.

"Treacherous thief," said Kato, "Where are your fellow criminals and the traitor Princess Zelda?"

"Stuff it in your blowhole, bottom feeder," spat Kef, "You aren't getting anything outta me."

"Seize him, bring him up to the King," said Kato, "We will press on immediately and Locate Zelda before she can further defile this sacred temple."

Two Zora grabbed Kef's arms and wrenched him upwards, but the Pirate could not stand. He yelped painfully as his leg buckled under him, and the Zoras let him fall back to the ground.

"He is injured, Marshal!" said one of the Zora.

"Then leave him," said Kato, "He can't go far. We'll move ahead and capture Zelda and then we will come back for him."

There was a sudden, reverberating boom which shook the walls of the temple and made dust of coral come tumbling down from the ceiling. The Zora broke out into a cacophony of murmurs in both Hylian and their own strange, aquatic language, until Kato called for a hush. The group huddled there for a moment in silence, until another boom shook the temple around them violently.

"Goddess alive, look at that!" cried Kef, having spotted the source of the disturbance. The Zora followed his gaze, and looked on in terror at the monster in the water above the overhead windows.

It was like a giant black octopus, purple veins of eldritch energy running in webs over the surface of its midnight skin. Sickly purple suckers the size of barrel kegs slid across the glass. Another tentacle came crashing down beside the first one. –Boom! The glass began to crack.

* * *

"It's about to get real wet in here real fast," said Scarlett, turning to Zelda, "Princess, you hang on to that boy no matter what happens, you understand?"

"Yes," said Zelda, nodding vigorously.

"Ms. Gwendolin," said Scarlett.

"Captain!"

"When that thing comes down here we won't have much time to act," said Scarlett, "Its only vulnerable point is likely that eye in its mouth. We have to find a way to hit it there. Whatever ye do, don't let those tentacles get ahold of you. I don't think it'd take much for 'em to crush ya!"

"Aye, Captain!" shouted Gwen, Kef's cutlass clutched tight in her white-knuckled fist.

Overhead, the hideous eye of Nyarlath gazed down upon them, its purple glow mixing toxically with the emerald green of the eerie temple. The massive tentacles of the giant cephalopod were wrapping tightly around the glass overhead, blocking it out, and deep cracks were now running back and forth all along the surface. In several spots, jets of water under pressure were already shooting through, falling endlessly to the black depths of the pit below.

"Princess Zelda!" at the other end of the walkway which led back out into the circular room where the pods had dropped them off, a Zora had entered with trident held high in the air. A sizeable group of Zora soldiers were behind him, and they were enough in number to completely block any egress. Scarlett turned to face them.

"When you first arrived here, I took you for pirates. It turns out that I should have trusted my first instincts," said the Zora, who Scarlett could now see was Marshal Kato, "You will not be suffered to defile Zora holy grounds. You will die here in this temple alongside the corpses of our gods!"

"You're mad, Zora," yelled Scarlett, "Do ye not see what looms over yer own head? Look up, you fish-brained idiot!"

"That creature is the result of your meddling," said Kato, "It would not be here if not for you. The gods are enraged at your presence. I will kill you, and it will please them."

"So it's like that, is it?" said Scarlett, "Alright, Ms. Gwendolin, prepare to repel boarders!"

The Pirates went rushing forward at the Zora who rallied to meet their charge. Tridents and cutlasses clashed with the glint of steel against steel. Gwen and Scarlett fought fiercely, and due to the narrow walkway which would only allow two to stand abreast safely, the pirates were able to hold off the Zora advance for the time being.

Zelda got on her knees, lifting link into her lap part way, and clasping his hands in hers. The Princess closed her eyes, and began to chant a prayer under her breath.

"Lady Nayru, Goddess of Wisdom, hear my plea. Peril seeks to harm one who journeys forth in thy name and that of thine sisters. I invoke thy love, protect him!"

A prism of blue light began to form around Link and Zelda, the electric energy lifting them up into the air. Soon they were capsuled in a diamond of electric blue, its shimmering magical walls a barrier between them and the violence outside.

Zelda wrapper her arms around Link, pulling his head close to her chest, and the Princess whispered in the boy's ear, "Link, please hurry."

* * *

The dragon cut through water like air, the powerful fluke tail behind it whipping frantically and its fans of lacy-finned wings pulling them forward in broad strokes. It plowed through the fierce currents of the tunnel as if they were mere gentle breezes in a mostly windless sky.

The tunnel went down a long ways, but finally Link could see that up ahead it leveled out. Not all was well with that, however. The surface of the huge passageway curved gently away from the direction of Jabu-Jabu's chamber, and as it leveled out it became suddenly densely populated with life. A hoard of giant lobsters, many even larger than the one Link had encountered before, carpeted the floor of the tunnel so densely that little of the coral which comprised the structure could actually be seen.

The dragon dove in over the crustaceans, stretching wide its cetacean jaws, and Link felt a tingling sensation in his arms and at the tips of his toes. There was a blinding flash, and the dragon discharged a bolt of golden lightning from its throat, the shock of energy cutting a swath through the creeping monsters below. Several of the lobsters fell dead.

_'Alright, boy! Let 'em have it!' _thought Link, urging the Dragon to dive lower and deliver another attack. Pincers nipped at the pair of them angrily, but the dragon opened its mouth once more and let fire another arc of brilliant lightning. It sizzled and crackled through the water, keeping its charge in a focused beam through the dragon's magic, but where it struck it dispersed like a bomb of electricity, rending dead anything within about thirty feet of its mark. The lobsters writhed and shuddered as the electric current spread through them, their shells shooting hissing jets of air into the water as the heat caused their insides to boil up with excess pressure.

Link squinted through the carnage and flashes of electric light to see further down the tunnel. Several hundred feet ahead, the passageway sloped upwards and disappeared, rising for an indeterminate distance back toward the ceiling of the massive cave which housed the temple. Link dug his heels in to the dragon's side for added grip and willed the thing to power forward with his mind.

It glided over the crowd of angry crustaceans, blasting away again and again with fresh jolts of yellow lightning. Ahead, some of the Lobsters were piling up on each other, climbing over one another in a desperate, animal attempt to avoid the coming carnage. The pile of crustaceans was blocking their path forward, and the Dragon tried to turn, but the pair was moving too fast.

They crashed into the pile of crustaceans hard, sending several tumbling through the water. The dragon wheeled, and Link felt as though everything around him was spinning. A blue armored claw clutched at him, and the dragon flung its neck back to bite the thing. He caught the pincer in his mouth and crunched down hard, just before the horrible vice-like claw could snip Link clear in two.

A second claw was raised from the tumult, and gripped the dragon's wing, clipping it hard. Crimson blood went billowing in clouds into the clear water. The lobsters, smelling the gore, became invigorated with a fresh sense of rage. Link could feel their pincers just out of reach, and hear their snapping claws through the dense liquid all around him.

The dragon spread its wings wide and opened its mouth. The light of the tunnel seemed to dim briefly, and the whole world seemed to grow silent with the anticipation of the creature's inhale. There was a deafening crack, the thunderous sound ringing in Link's ears, and electric energy went surging away from the dragon and his rider in a spherical field of incredible force.

All at once, the water was full with the squealing of cooked lobsters, their shells expelling whining jets of air in a swarm of angry bubbles all around. Link and the dragon were free again! The boy's mount wasted no time in sweeping clear of the crowd of dead crustaceans, the blood still trailing off its fin in little streams. The creature seemed to care little for its injury though, and it pressed on at full tilt, driven by the fire of Link's determination.

Up, up they went, streaming through the next tunnel with all the energy of a charging stallion. There was shining light somewhere up ahead, and it gave the boy a surge of hope. They would reach it in mere moments. Closer, closer they came until –Splash! The boy and the dragon burst forth from the surface of a sparkling pool, finding themselves in a high tower room far up above any level of the temple Link had yet seen.

Here there was a pedestal which floated above the water as if held there by magic. The dragon came to rest alongside the thing so that Link could dismount and stand upon it. There, held in brackets of stone, was a shining azure crystal made of three pentagonal stones set in a golden clasp. Link tried to read the inscription which encircled the thing, but found the dialect of the runes too old for him to grasp the meaning of.

"Well, the last time this thing responded to Zelda's blood, right?" said Link. The dragon hooted approvingly.

"Well," said Link, "Impa said I have the blood of the chosen in me too, right? So maybe my blood will work just as well as hers."

Link looked at his shoulder where the coral had gouged his arm during his tumble down through the temple on the back of the giant lobster. Wet crimson still stained his tunic there. He reached up under his sleeve with his other hand, feeling the sting as he dipped his fingers in the wound. He smeared his own blood across the runes like finger paint, and they began to glow.

The azure stone on the pedestal rumbled and vibrated with energy, and then the gemstones began to crack and splinter. The entire stone shattered into a million pieces, and at its core revealed a silvery shard of blade which Link knew to be the temple's treasure.

"Yes!" cried Link, "We did it, boy! Now to get back to Zelda…"

The dragon clicked warily and growled a low, guttural growl. Link looked back at the thing, prepared to scold it for its sour attitude, when he saw that its shining eyes were fixated on the glass of the windows which Link now realized comprised the walls of this high chamber. Link peered out into the sparkling water of the Dreamworld lake beyond. What he saw made his heart stop.

Out in the cool blue water, a massive octopus the size of a large building was spreading out like a great umbrella over the lower levels of the temple. Link looked down, and saw that the gargantuan cephalopod was positioned directly over the domed glass ceiling of the chamber he had left his own sleeping body in.

"No!" cried Link, "We have to get out there!"

The dragon leapt into action at once. Its mighty jaws were flung wide open, and a tremendous crack of thunder issued from its mouth as another bolt of lightning struck the glass. The window pane exploded, sending water flooding into the chamber. Link stuffed the shard of the treasure into his pocket, and leapt astride the dragon; even as the rushing whitewater came swirling all around him. Then dragon and rider went diving back into the breach, their sights set on the goliath monster down below.

* * *

Zelda held the spell as chunks of glass from the ceiling above came crashing down like a sparkling rain of dagger blades. Scarlett and Gwen fought the Zoras like mad women, their cutlasses running red with the blood of fallen soldiers. Scarlett had driven Kato back almost to the double doors which led into the chamber, and many of his Zora had already fallen to the incredible skill of the pirate's blades.

The Marshal lunged forward, but Scarlett caught the tip of his trident with her sword, and pulled the fish-man in to pummel him with the back of her free hand. The Zora staggered, blood bursting forth from his nostril as Scarlett's fist smashed into his face. He lost his grip on the trident, and it clattered to the ground.

"Give up, fish-man!" cried Scarlett, "You can't win this. In mere moments, that beast up there will come crashing down upon our heads, and if we're too busy fighting each other to deal with it then we all die."

"I will never bow down to a pirate like you!"

"Then _I'll _kill you," retorted Scarlett.

Suddenly a great chunk of glass came loose from the ceiling above, and a waterfall of incredible force was pouring down upon them.

"Captain!" shouted Gwen, pulling Scarlett by the back of her tunic, just narrowly avoiding the deadly torrent of rushing surf. Their path to Kato was cut off, and the Zora disappeared somewhere behind the wall of boiling white.

"That's it," said Scarlett, "Brace yerself, Gwendolin. That ceiling has had it. It's gonna cave!"

The tree-trunk sized tentacles came bursting through the glass with a pounding crash and the shatter and tinkle of the falling glass and the rush of the roaring water was all that they could hear. The huge, obsidian beak of the Octopus broke through the dome overhead, it's awful jaws stretching open to reveal its sickly purple eye. The wall of water was too much, and the chamber was filling completely now. Gwen and Scarlett were swept away somewhere in the depths and out of Zelda's sight.

All the while, the Princess trembled with the will of concentration, her eyes streaming with tears and Link pressed dearly to her chest. Through the shining walls of the prism shield she could see the mammoth beast descending upon them like an angry black storm cloud. The water came rushing in, and the walls of white crashed around the diamond barrier in a chaotic flurry of bubbles. When the tumult had cleared, all that she could see was that eldritch purple eye, close enough to reach out and touch through the walls of the spell, and she knew that the monster's jagged beak was closing all around them. The magic shield sparked and hummed with electric energy as the crushing jaws of the beast made contact, but Zelda held strong. Now she was all that stood between her and Link and impending annihilation. She clutched the boy tighter.

"Link, you have to wake up! Please!"

* * *

Link and the dragon went jetting through the water as fast as they could go. The dragon swept around the head of the gargantuan cephalopod, and dragged a bolt of searing lightning across its side. Even through the distortion of the water, the sound the beast made was terrible.

Immediately, massive tentacles swung their way in dire protest. The dragon had to swim with considerable agility to avoid the suffocating grasp of the reaching appendages.

Tirelessly they fought the monster, dipping and dodging under the clumsy flailing of its mighty tentacles. Each strike of fiery lightning rent deep gashes across the body of the beast, and shriveled deadly tentacles to withered husks, but it seemed that no amount of damage could deter the malevolent monstrosity. There was an audible crash and the sound of water rushing and stone crumbling as the beast at last caved in the ceiling of the structure below.

Link winced, fully expecting that at any moment he would blink out of existence as the monster devoured his waking form, but nothing happened.

Link willed the dragon to dive lower, and it took him down below the groping tentacles, where he could see the shrine which had once held Jabu-Jabu crumbling away to dust and shards of broken glass. There was no sign of Link's sleeping form anywhere.

Suddenly a swinging tentacle caught them off guard, slamming hard into the dragon's side and nearly knocking Link away. He clung to the dragon desperately. More tentacles appeared, wrapping around the dragon's tail, and gripping its flowery wings, crushing them under its impossible weight. The dragon wailed in pain.

"No!" cried Link, but his words were lost as bubbles in the void. He felt himself panicking. What could he do? He had come all this way, and retrieved the shard, but it would mean nothing if none of them made it back to the surface alive.

The Octopus was rising through the water, and as it drifted upward its hideous black maw of obsidian stone came into view. Link saw something there, clutched in the creature's beak… a twinkling thing, like a star shining through the depths. There was a figure at its core, a girl… Zelda!

Link could see her, her hair flowing with the static electric energy of her mysterious magic. She was looking right into the sickly purple eye at the center of the awful mouth, gazing right into the jaws of her destroyer as it devoured her. She was clutching someone tightly to her chest.

It was Link! He suddenly realized why he had not died when the temple had caved in. Zelda had him, sealed inside of some kind of spell. He was actually in the monster's mouth right now! This realization was horrifying, but it gave Link an idea.

"So I can't hurt you from the outside?" said Link, reaching into his pocket, "Let's see if I can hurt you from the inside."

He brought the Sleepstone in front of his face and held it up. "Awaken!" shouted link. The bubbles of his speech made contact with the stone…

* * *

…and his eyes were open!

"Awaken!" he was still shouting as he came to, which startled Zelda terribly. For that split second the Princess' concentration had been broken, and the jagged jaws of the beast cracked the shield in several places. In mere moments, the protection of the spell would break, but Link knew it no longer mattered. He pushed Zelda off of him, feeling bad for being unable to explain, but there was no time. He pulled Scarlett's dagger from his belt, leapt forward through the walls of the protective spell, breaking it, and plunged the tiny blade as hard as he could into the eye of the beast.

There was a terrible, otherworldly scream.

* * *

Up above the Lake, Zig had given the order to scan the center of the body of water. It was the place the Captain had said would be the most likely site of the temple, and the best place to look for any signs of Scarlett and her crew. He stood at the bow of the ship, watching with hawk eyes for any strange occurrence on the surface of the water, but the lake remained maddeningly peaceful. Zig had been fighting down a foreboding feeling for hours now, and cursed his inability to do more to help his Captain.

It should have been him down there, not Kef and Gwen. The other pirates were young and spry, filled with fight. Zig was old, and weathered, and if he went out in a fight that would be just as well. After his careless defeat in the Temple of Life, he was sure that it wouldn't be long before his age caught up with him, and magic wasn't there to save his life.

Suddenly, something caught the old pirate's eye just off the coast of a large island on the lake.

It started as bubbles on the surface, but quickly it rose to the point that it resembled a rolling boil in the water. Zig called out to the wheelhouse, giving the order to bring the Stalfos around alongside the anomaly. For a long while the pirates waited, watching the rumbling below with intense expectation. Eventually, something came bobbing to the surface. It was a body!

"Keep her hovering low, and prepare to retrieve survivors!" cried Zig, and then in one stride he stepped forward and dove into the crystal water below. He landed with a splash, shooting several feet under the surface of the lake.

A scene of destruction was splayed out before him.

At the bottom of the lake, a thousand coral structures lay destroyed, and on the shelf of the island as many pock-marked caves had crumbled in upon themselves. The bodies of countless Zora drifted lifelessly across the deep, and blood clouded the water in murky billows like rolling smoke.

Zig resurfaced, paddling over to the body which he'd spotted. Coming closer, he realized that it was Kef. He rolled the figure over on its back.

The pirate sputtered and coughed,

"Ziggardun," said Kef, smiling weakly, "You're dead too?"

"Kef!" said Zig, clutching the younger pirate to him in a one-armed bear hug, "Where is Scarlett? Where are Zelda and the others?"

There was another splash as two more bodies came to surface nearby. Zig made sure that Kef could float on his own before striking out with swiftness more than impressive for a one-armed swimmer. He found the other two bodies to be Scarlett and Gwendolin, unconscious but still alive, in no small part thanks to their shimmering Zora tunics.

Zig threw his arm up in the air and signaled to the Stalfos. Immediately, more pirates came bounding over the side of the ship, landing in the water. They encircled the survivors, dragging them above the lapping surface of the lake, and pulling them to spots where harnesses of rope were being lowered from the Stalfos' cargo bay.

"That's three," said Zig to himself, "Where are the other two?"

The surface of the lake broke once more, but this time the figure which emerged was still kicking, still treading water. Zig swam over to meet the new arrival, and was pleased to see that it was Link with Zelda on his back, her arms clasped weakly around his neck.

"Boy!" cried Zig, "What happened?"

"It's a long story," said Link, "For now, let's just get everyone on board the Stalfos and get as far away from this lake as we can."

"Aye," said Zig, with a nod.

* * *

By candle light they all sat in the warmth of Scarlett's cabin, all but the Captain swaddled in warm blankets and sipping cups of steaming tea. They had listened silently as Link recounted the tale of his journey through the temple, his retrieval of the shard, and his defeat of Nyarlath's terrible aquatic avatar. On the coffee table beside Scarlett's lush couches the two shards glinted in the flicker of the candles, and somehow the shining things felt like mere trinkets in the wake of all that had transpired.

"I can't believe it," said Zelda, solemnly, "The entire Zoras Domain, destroyed. I had never meant for this to happen."

"Well, if the idiots had listened to us in the first place it wouldn't have happened," said Scarlett.

"Don't talk like that!" said Zelda, "They're dead now. Most of them anyway. There's no point in insulting them. They were a noble people. All they were guilty of was trying to protect what was sacred to them."

"Aye," said Scarlett, "Not so different from any of us, I suppose. Still, there's no room for sentiment in times like these."

Zelda had no words for Scarlett. She was too tired to argue with the pirate. Her eyes went to Link, who returned her gaze with a kind of sympathetic sadness. Did he understand how she felt? Just by showing up they had doomed the Zora's entire civilization. There was no telling how many of the fish-men had died by Nyarlath's hand as he descended in the form of the giant octopus into the depths of the ancient lake. If not for Link, they would have been his victims too.

"Sitting around sulking is doing nothing good for us," said Gwen, standing up, "Come on Zelda, and let's get you to bed. We have to get an early start tomorrow. Zig, Kef, get below deck and make sure the crew is resting up. We make way for the Temple of the Heart in the morning."

The pirates rose and left the room, Gwen taking Zelda with her. Link stood to go, but Scarlett's hand caught his shoulder. The crimson-eyed pirate towered over the boy, the devil's gleam re-kindled in her gaze.

"Well, boy, that's twice now ye've saved my arse from a tight spot. I'd like to thank ye, but the truth is it makes me furious," said Scarlett, smirking, "You go down and get some rest, but know this: tomorrow you and I are havin' a little chat about how ye've been traipsing between two worlds at your whimsy, understand? And I don't want to hear no lies outta ya, or ye'll be goin' right back in the lake to join those damnable Zoras."

Link stared right back at Scarlett's fiery eye, and he found that the pirate, for all her rage and violence, no longer scared him.

"Goodnight, Scarlett," said Link.

The boy left, and Scarlett locked the door behind him. The Captain waited up that night, lost in her own head, and never did her gaze leave the shards of the treasure they had risked so much for until the morning cuccoo could be heard crowing to the rising sun.


	13. Concerning Gorons

Chapter 13

The growth of industry effects many different people, places, and things in many different ways. A parallel can be made between this and the growth of living things. Just as grass grows, cows eat grass, and people eat cows, so too does production grow, demand grows, and the factories eat people. Where exists such oppressive consumption, however, there tends to be a benefactor or two standing by to reap the spoils of other's suffering. Perhaps this wasn't a conscious decision by the Gorons of the Eastern Mountains, but it was nonetheless the reality of the part they had to play in the ever evolving economic state of Hyrule, due to one simple fact:

It was the Gorons who owned the quarries.

From their deep halls of stone far below the peaks of the mountains came all the raw materials, all the precious resources which the rich dignitaries and business men of Castle Town used to keep their monstrous pets, the factories, producing product. So incredible was the demand, and so steep was the price of the Goron stone and metal that in less than a hundred years the whole of Death Mountain had been hollowed out and hewn to rubble. The crater of the ancient volcano, once a sacred place of great importance to the tribes of old, had been drained through a natural gulch on the mountain's eastern slope, and the cooling magma became a source of sturdy obsidian which the Gorons were quick to mine and chip away.

Unlike the Zora, children of Nayru and first of the Golden Races, the Gorons were of the hardened stock of Din. Power was what commanded their respect, more sacred than any god or temple. It was the mountains that Gorons made their place of worship, and their prayers were answered in the form of gems and ore which kept the miners happy and the Gorons rich.

There were problems for the Gorons too. Being so unlike their brother race, the Zora, the Gorons had less respect for the natural world. They felt they owned the rocks and the mountains, rather than being the gentle stewards of nature which the Zora sought to be. Twofold was their greed, for the same stones they traded were the stones which nourished them and saw their children reared to hearty size so that they too could become miners and dig and eat. Yet, nature is not boundless. The hard-headed Gorons had forgotten how easy the balance of nature could be broken, and too excessive was their consumption and too greedy their mining.

So the Gorons moved from mountain to mountain and quarry to quarry, leaving no stone unturned in an unusually literal sense, eating and trading away, and always getting farther from the Castle to which they offered up the bulk of their wealth.

With the Gorons went the town of Kakariko, clinging to its hosts like a hungry parasite. It had become apparent quickly after the hollowing of Death Mountain and the relocation of the Gorons to more plentiful peaks that the little village could not survive without the steady flow of merchants and miners which the Goron quarries provided. Soon, the village had grown used to uplifting its entire populace every couple of decades and following the mine in its slithering procession across the Eastern ranges. It became normality, old and expected, and no one thought on it any farther than that.

What the Gorons did not realize in their lust for wealth and their pursuit of the power they respected was that they had forgotten the roots of their mother Din which had given them the strength and knowledge to harvest the stones in the first place. They lost sight of the boundaries, they grew arrogant and decadent, and before long they delved too deep. Down in the low, low depths of the darkest Goron mines something had awoken, and the Gorons would soon see the grim reality of the power that had been their foolish wish.

* * *

"Dad, tell us a story!"

Doro was a baby Goron. Or, at least a young Goron. Young Gorons were somewhat of an enigma to most other races. Most Hylians tended not to think about the implications of the Goron reproductive cycle, but every so often the awkward question would come up, and then everyone suddenly became aware of the rock monster in the room. Where did baby Gorons come from? For all the rich and detailed history available in the form of books and carvings and sacred relics all around Hyrule, that was a bit of information that was conveniently omitted from every known source.

The truth was, even the Gorons themselves weren't exactly sure.

Since the beginning of time, since the awakening of the three Golden races who were the stewards of the still budding world which would become Hylia, the Gorons had known that it was their purpose in life to mine. They did not learn this behavior, they _were _this behavior. Just as an animal does not need to be told how to find a mate, a Goron does not need to be told how to find a cave to dig in. It just so happened that, on occasion when a Goron was mining away as all Gorons do, sometimes another Goron would just sort of pop out.

They would be small, alive, and crying in the manner of a child, and it would appear to the Goron who had unearthed the little bundle of stony joy that it must have been sealed up there in the solid rock from the word go.

It was the alarming belief of some Gorons that every Goron that ever was and ever would be already existed somewhere, a screaming babe encased in a womb of solid rock, waiting indefinitely for fate to find a hand to dig him out. Yet Goron babies were only ever found by Goron miners, and not a one among the rocky race could figure that one out.

So it was that on one fateful day old Boro, foreman of one of the many Goron quarries, swung his pick at a wall of rock and found beyond that barrier of stone not the diamonds which he sought but rather a pair of crying faces. On that day Doro and his brother Toro were born, and as is keeping with the Goron tradition Boro found himself unexpectedly a single father juggling two kids and a full-time job.

"Yeah, Dad! Tell us a story!"

Toro ran up to take his place beside his brother, kneeling on the old floor mat before the foreman's smelting hearth. The little cavern chamber where the three of them made their home was sparsely furnished, since Gorons didn't require much. In one corner a wooden chest stood open, filled to the brim with gemstones of every shape and variety, kept as a pantry which held the children's snacks. Wrought iron braziers burned oil from three separate spots on the wall, brightly lighting the little room. The walls were painted with angular, geometric tribal designs of Goron culture. There were no beds, because Gorons liked to sleep on their bellies, curled up on the ground like a resting boulder.

"Okay, okay," said Boro, scooping the little ones up and resting one on each knee. Boro was a large Goron. Large, even for a Goron, that is. He stood a full nine feet, and had a bristling 'beard' of solid quartz. His arms were powerful chunks of granite, and his chest was an armored plate of tarnished corundum, harder than steel and barely less than diamond in its durability. Toro and Doro were about the size of bowling balls by comparison, and looked comically tiny sitting in their father's lap.

"So what'll it be today then?" asked Boro, smiling lovingly on his offspring.

"Tell us about the dragon again, Dad!" shouted Doro.

"Yeah, Dad!" agreed Toro, "Tell us about Volvaga again!"

"That's Volvagia, Toro," Boro corrected the child, gently, "You boys sure you want to hear that one again? Seems like I tell you that one all the time."

"Please Dad!"

"Yeah, Dad, please? We wanna hear about the dragon!"

"Alright, alright," said Boro, "Once upon a time, when the belly of Death Mountain still burned with fire, and the Kingdom of Hyrule was many thousands of years younger than it is now, the Legendary Sage Darunia was the patriarch of the Gorons. Now Darunia was as tough as Gorons get. He was strong, and fierce, and courageous, and the very mountains would shake when he danced to the lofty forest flutes in his proud hall down under Death Mountain Crater.

"Well, one day the Evil King who once ruled in Hyrule for a time came to Darunia, and he said, 'Lord of the Gorons, give me all your treasures and all your gold or I will come into your proud hall and I will take your people away from you and feed them to the terrible dragon, Volvagia.' Well, Darunia was a proud Goron, and though he knew that the Evil King was a mighty wizard he would not bow to the man's corrupt will. 'Try and take my people, if that is your wish. I will not give over what belongs to the Gorons to a man such as you.'

"Now, the Evil King did not like that one bit. He was very angry with Darunia for not giving over the gems and gold he wanted so much. So, with an army of evil soldiers at his command, the Evil King came back to Death Mountain and he took all the Gorons. He forced them down into the ancient temple far below Death Mountain Crater and locked them away, and he told Darunia that until he gave up all the treasure of Death Mountain that he would feed one of the Gorons to the hungry dragon every day.

"Darunia had a diamond heart, they say, for he was not the slightest bit tarnished by this. He had a plan to deal with the Evil King. He would go down to the temple and free the Gorons and he would slay the dragon and bring its head to lie at the feet of the Evil King. 'There', Darunia would say, 'See your dragon? What will you feed my people to now!'

"There was a problem with Darunia's plan though. Volvagia had lived before, long before Darunia's own time. Back then another Goron had defeated the mighty dragon using an ancient, magical hammer which could break anything, even dragon scales. That powerful weapon was called the Megaton Hammer, and some said that Din herself had forged it in the fires of creation long ago. Darunia did not have the Megaton Hammer though. It had been lost hundreds of years before, and no one knew just where the hammer might be.

"Darunia remained determined nonetheless. 'I cannot waste time looking for the magic hammer,' said Darunia to himself, 'Each day another Goron becomes a snack for that dragon. I have to protect the Gorons, so I will go down and fight the dragon anyway.'

"About this time, an old friend of Darunia's whom he had sworn as his brother, the highest regard a Goron can bestow upon any other race, came to visit Death Mountain…"

"The Legendary Hero!" cried Toro, excitedly, "Oh man, he was the coolest!"

"Super coolest!"

"Mega coolest!"

"Do you want me to tell the story or not?" said Boro, and his chuckle sounded like a distant landslide, "Yes, Darunia's brother was the Legendary Hero, and he had come back after seven long years away to visit his brothers once again. However, when the Hero arrived at Death Mountain, he was surprised to see that all the Gorons had disappeared! Only Darunia's son remained. He had hidden from the Evil King, and seen as all the Gorons had been taken away. He pleaded with the Hero for him to go down into the temple and help his father fight the mighty dragon.

"The Hero, being a hero, agreed immediately to find Darunia and help him defeat Volvagia once and for all. Equipped with one of the special magic tunics which only Gorons know how to make, the Hero went right into Death Mountain Crater, and he found the Temple's secret entrance and went down, down deep under the ground to find his brother."

"Those tunics aren't so special," said Doro, "They're just dumb old dodongo scales. Anyone can make them."

"That's not true, Doro!" said Boro, "Only Gorons know the trick of heating the dodongo scales at just the right temperature to bring out the special magic that makes Goron tunics so resistant to heat and fire. Go ahead and ask any Hylian, and see if they know how many degrees a dodongo scale crackles at. I'd wager my favorite diamond that they don't have an answer for you."

"Now, where was I? Ah, of course, the temple under the mountain. All mountains have a Goron temple somewhere deep underneath, or so the legend goes. The Mountains were the world to the Gorons long ago, and in the early dawn of Goron life most Gorons didn't even know there was a sky! It seemed to Gorons in those days that the whole world was just tunnels and rock to dig, and that suited them just fine. Well, this particular Goron temple had long housed the bones of Volvagia, and was built to commemorate the defeat of that monstrous dragon so long ago by the ancient Goron hero. It was the magic of the Evil King which had brought the dragon back to life, but where the Evil King went, the Legendary Hero was never far behind.

"The Hero found Darunia just as he was about to face the dragon. There stood the mighty Goron, just outside the door to the Dragon's lair, but the hero said, 'Wait, Darunia! You cannot fight the dragon alone. I am here to help you!'

"Darunia was very pleased to see his brother had returned to help him save the Gorons, but he wasn't willing to let his brother fight the dragon and die. He knew that it would be nearly impossible to stop the dragon without the hammer, but he thought that maybe he could distract the monster long enough for the Legendary Hero to free all of the Gorons who had been captured by the Evil King. 'While I'm trying to deal with the dragon, please save my people!' said Darunia."

"Dad, you gotta make it believable," whined Toro, "A great Goron leader like Darunia wouldn't talk like that. He'd say something way cooler."

"You think so?" laughed Boro, "Well, I'm only telling you the story the way I heard it. If you think you can tell it better I can just stop here."

"No, no!" cried Toro and Doro, "Please, Dad, finish it!"

"Ok, but no more interruptions," said Boro. He cleared his throat, which sounded like a cave in, and went on, "Well, true to his word, the Hero searched every corner of the temple, and freed many Gorons along the way. Of course, the Gorons recognized him as their sworn brother and did much to help him accomplish this task. Eventually, the Hero came to a chamber in the temple which had remained hidden for too many years to count. He found a beautiful golden treasure chest in this room, and when he opened it to see what was inside, he found…"

"The Megaton Hammer!" shouted Toro, standing up on his father's lap and throwing one rocky fist up to the sky in triumph.

"Hey, settle down there. I thought I said no more interruptions."

"Sorry, Dad," said Toro sitting down again, "I promise I won't do it again."

"That's alright Toro," said Boro, patting Toro on the head with his own rocky hand, which made Toro's small fists look like mere pebbles.

"Yes, it was the Megaton Hammer inside the treasure chest," said Boro, getting back to the story, "The Hero was very happy to find the Megaton Hammer! 'I must get to Darunia,' thought the Hero, 'With this hammer we can slay that dragon together!'

"The Hero went to the dragon's lair as quickly as he could, but when he got there there was no sign of poor Darunia. Only the dragon remained. Its body was like a long ribbon of fire, and it had horns like a goat, and legs like a hawk. It flew up high over the Hero, and rained down fire on him from its glowing magma scales, but the Hero was too fast to let that attack hit! Then, the dragon tried diving low and going under the magma where the Hero could not follow. The dragon would pop its head up out of the Magma, and try to breathe its fire on the Hero, but still the Hero was too quick! Finally, the dragon popped its head out one more time, and –SMASH! The Legendary Hero hit the dragon so hard on its head that it cracked the armor of its scales there, and the dragon clutched at its head and wailed and cried about the pain. The magic hammer was too powerful for the dragon! It struggled and cried as its fire burned out, and it crumbled away to nothing but ashes right before the Hero's eyes! He had defeated the dragon and saved the Gorons, for which our people will forever be in his debt."

"But what happened to Darunia, Dad?" said Doro.

"Well, Doro, Darunia became the Sage of Fire, and went to go live with the other sages in the Sacred Realm," replied Boro.

"I heard Gorbu say that the Sacred Realm is where people go when they die," said Doro.

"Yeah, duh!" blurted Toro, "That dragon gobbled Darunia up. That's why he went to the sacred realm."

"You don't know that!" cried Doro, unmistakable horror in his voice.

"Do so!" jeered Toro.

"Now that's enough!" scolded Boro, setting both children back on the floor, "There, I've told you your story. Now it's time to go to sleep. I'd hate to have to tell Biggoron that you boys were fighting again."

"No, Dad, don't!" shouted Toro.

"Yeah, Dad, we'll be good!" promised Doro.

Suddenly, there was a thunderous boom outside, like an explosion reverberating off the echoing walls of the quarry.

"Dad, what was that?" said Toro.

"I don't know, son," the old Goron was on his feet with surprising swiftness. He went to the door to their sleeping chamber and threw it open, casting his gaze all around the multi-tiered, open hall of the quarry. Across on the other side of the quarry he could see many Goron's running about as in a panic. Suddenly, a group of Gorons went rolling right past Boro's door, heading in the same direction as the others.

Boro stuck his foot out, and one of the rollers came to a crashing halt.

"Hey!" said the Goron, "What did you do that for?"

"What's going on out here?"

"Some kind of an attack!" replied the Goron, "No one knows who just yet, but they say the entire bombflower warehouse has gone up!"

"That's impossible! The rockslide would be devastating!"

"It was," replied the Goron, "Many people are dead. You should hurry and get out of here before whoever is attacking shows up. I'm on my way out right now, so if you'll excuse me, good luck to you brother!"

The Goron curled up into a ball and went rolling away.

"Dad?" cried Doro, "What's happening?"

"Listen, you two," said Boro, closing the door and proceeding to scoop the two little children back into his arms, "You have to hide. Daddy has to go see what's wrong outside, so I'm going to put you in the food bin and I want you to curl up and hide at the bottom and don't come out till I get back no matter what. You understand?"

"No, Dad!" whined Doro, "Don't leave us here, we're scared!"

"Doro, I'm serious," said Boro. The children saw the stern look on their father's face and knew they should not argue. Boro took each child and stuffed them down deep in the chest of gems, scooping up handfuls of the rocks and piling them on the huddled forms of his children. He gave them one last worried glance before heading out to find what the matter was outside.

The children huddled for long minutes at the bottom of the chest, trembling in fear at the sounds of distant explosions.

"What is going on, Toro?"

"It's the dragon! Its Volvagia, it must be! Can't you hear his fire booming outside? He's come back to gobble us all up!"

"Toro, don't say that!"

"But what else could it be?"

The children silenced at once as they heard the door come open once more. They listened in horror as two pairs of footsteps entered the little room, and they knew by the odd patter of the steps that they did not belong to their father.

There was a clatter as one of the iron braziers was thrown to the ground.

"None in here," hissed a serpentine voice, "Let's move on to the next one. Lord Nyarlath wants the lot of these rock eating slobs locked up."

"The Evil King!" whispered Doro.

"Shhhh!" hissed Toro.

"Did you hear that?" said another raspy, leathery voice.

"Hear what?"

"Hmmm…" both Goron's held their breath as they heard the footsteps coming closer. A scaly hand came groping through the rocks and gems above them, several times brushing their backs with rough and horrible skin. "Just rocks. Guess it was my imagination. Let's go."

The pattering footsteps left, slamming the door behind them. The two young Goron's exhaled together.

"That settles it, its Volvagia for sure!" said Toro.

"Toro, I'm scared. What do we do if Dad doesn't come back?"

"Gosh, I dunno Doro," said Toro, thoughtfully, "I guess we'll just have to wait here like he said, and hope that the Legendary Hero comes to rescue us."

There was another resounding boom somewhere outside in the quarry. The two curled balls of rock huddled closer together.

"I really hope he hurries," said Doro, pathetically.

"Me too," said Toro, sidling up as close to his brother as he could, "Me too."

The fires from the quarry raged long into the night, and the two young Gorons remained there, trembling in the dark below the rocks and gems, waiting.

* * *

The Crimson Stalfos hovered low over the foothills, far to the East of Hyrule field where the Eastern Mountains sloped down and gave way to the plains of distant, foreign lands. Down below the ship, on the sparsely vegetated, rocky ground, Link was watching the Pirates saddle up a group of horses and tie supply bags to their backs. They were headed for the village of Kakariko, which lay at the base of the mountain where the Gorons harvested their ore and gems both day and night. It was there they would begin their search for the location of the Temple of the Heart, which legends said resided somewhere at the center of the mighty mountain range.

They could not just fly the Stalfos into the village though, seeing as how they were all wanted thieves. They would have to depart the ship a ways away from Kakariko and go in on foot and wearing disguises so that they would not be caught.

Link had only ever seen Gorons in Castle Town, and he had never had the chance to talk to one face to face. He was quite excited by the idea. No one knew more about making swords and other things out of metal than the Gorons. Link was fascinated by the secrets of the forge fire, and couldn't wait to see them in action.

Suddenly, the boy became aware of a presence behind him.

"I've never been to Kakariko before," said a muffled voice, "I'm quite excited to see what it's like."

Link turned to see who was speaking to him, and was surprised to find a Shiekah boy only slightly older than himself, lithe and skinny, with a white turban and scarf wrapped around his head so that only his eyes and a few tufts of blond hair were visible. Behind him, a long braid of golden hair was wrapped tightly in a strip of white cloth.

"Oh, hey," said Link, "I've never seen you before. I didn't know there were any kids aboard the Stalfos besides me and Zelda. I'm Link, by the way. It's nice to meetcha!"

"Link," said the Shiekah boy, "It's me! Zelda!"

She pulled the muffling scarf away from her face, and Link was shocked to see Zelda's soft, feminine features smiling from beneath.

"Pretty neat disguise, huh?"

"Oh, yeah, wow!" said Link, his eyes wide, "That's really something. I thought you were a boy for sure!"

"Thanks, I think," said Zelda, replacing the scarf over her face, "What did they give you to wear?"

"Oh," said Link, reaching into his travel pack, "Kef gave me this mask."

He put the thing on and looked at Zelda. It was like a kind of yellow fox with no mouth, black tips on its elongated ears, wispy slashes for eyes, and a dotted black nose. Link tilted his head to the side at Zelda's bewildered expression.

"Like it?"

"That thing is ridiculous," said Zelda.

"Hey!"

"Come on, little bugs!" called Gwen, already astride her horse, "There's no time to lose. We need to reach Kakariko by nightfall."

The two kids went running, Link and Zelda, side by side, their minds full of the wonder of a new adventure. Gwendolin watched them, running and laughing, and mused about how wonderful it would be to be a child again, if only for a day.


	14. Kakariko Village

Chapter 14

Link was squatting in front of a strange flower, inspecting its weird, bulbous shape through the eye slits of his Keaton mask. He'd never seen anything like it. It was bluish in color, round, and large as a bowling ball. A quartet of leaves was draped at its bottom, and at its crown four red flower petals. Link reached out a hand to touch the thing…

"I wouldn't do that," said Scarlett, sternly. Link looked up at the pirate, his Keaton mask staring expressionless at her.

"It's a bomb flower," said Scarlett, "They grow wild all over these mountains. Highly volatile and explosive. You need special tools to pick them safely. They've killed more than one unwary traveler in these hills."

Scarlett clicked her tongue and her horse went treading on. Link watched her go, off put by the sudden moment of contact with the pirate. Scarlett had not spoken to him in days. Not since the morning after the Temple of the Mind. She had approached him before the sun had risen, taken him up to the wheelhouse, and grilled him on the details of his strange command of the world of dreams.

"I know ye've got something, whelp, that allows ye to slip in and out of that sleeping curse whenever you feel like," the pirate had said, her voice tinged with a kind of manic urgency, "Now it could save the lot of us, me and my crew, a whole load of trouble and time wasted if you were to just give it up now. I'll remind ye that I am quite serious, and I do not put myself above runnin' ya through if it suits my purposes."

"Okay, fine," said Link, "I've got something, but it won't do you any good."

"What do you mean?"

"I have a stone," said Link, "It lets me go back and forth, between our world and the Dreamworld, but it doesn't work for everyone. Just me."

"Liar!" cried Scarlett, "Let me see the thing, ye little beast."

Link reached into his pocket and pulled out the little orb of the Sleepstone. He held it up to the light, and Scarlett watched with wide eye as the little arcs of eldritch lightning danced back and forth inside the crystal.

"Give it here, lad," she said, holding out her hand.

Link reluctantly placed the stone in Scarlett's palm. She clutched the thing gently, being very careful not to drop it as she held it up to peer through it with her one red eye.

"How does it work?"

"Well, you just say 'slumber' and it takes you into the Dreamworld," said Link, "But I'm telling you, it won't work for you."

"Why not?"

"The person who gave it to me just said so, ok?" said Link, "I don't know any more about it than that."

"Who gave you this stone?"

"I…" Link thought of Impa, and his promise to not tell the pirates about the stone. He'd already failed to make good on that, but for some reason he felt that he shouldn't use the old woman's name. "I don't know," said Link, feeling stupid about it.

"You lying little brat," said Scarlett, smiling, "I knew you were hiding something. With this stone I won't need you anymore. We can just drop you off at the next tall hill and forget about you. You're a little thief, you probably stole it. Didn't you? Probably didn't even know what it was."

"I didn't steal it!" shouted Link, "I only ever stole food and clothes and…"

He thought about his little collection of wind-up toys, and the guilt left him in miserable silence. Scarlett held the orb up in front of her and laughed. "Well, boy, I have to thank you. Ye've saved me yet again! Sadly, I won't be returning the favor. There's urgent business to deal with now. Slumber!"

Scarlett waited a moment, staring into the orb. Nothing happened.

"Slumber," said Scarlett again, a pleading tone in her voice now.

"SLUMBER!" screamed the pirate. The world remained, unchanged. Link stared up at her blankly. He softly shook his head.

"Hya!" screamed Scarlett, throwing the Sleepstone at the ground. It landed with a hard thud, and Link winced as he thought it would shatter, but the sparkling gem proved more durable than it appeared.

Scarlett grabbed him by the collar, lifted him up in one fluid motion, and slammed his back into the wall. It hurt badly. The pirate pulled her dagger from her belt and pressed it to Link's throat, her maddening red eye only inches from his face. Tears slid down the boy's cheek, but he remained silent.

"Why isn't it working? What didn't you tell me?" screamed Scarlett, "I swear I'll leave yer guts all over the floor if ye lie to me again!"

Link said nothing. His icy blue eyes met Scarlett's one eye and he stared at her and didn't break his gaze. The pirate gritted her teeth and pressed the knife in hard enough to cause a little trickle of blood to run down Link's neck. Just a bit more pressure and she would end the boy forever.

Scarlett's grip relaxed. She let boy and dagger fall to the floor with a thud and a clatter. Then she turned away and buried her head in her hands, resting on the Stalfos' steering wheel, and sobbing loudly. "Why does nothing work?" wailed the pirate, and to Link she sounded less like Scarlett and more like a frightened child.

"Scarlett, I…"

"Just go!" screamed the captain, "Just take yer filthy rock and leave me be, ye little bastard!"

Link stared in wonder for a moment longer at the pirate who had seemed so mighty and terrible mere days ago, watching as her sobs grew uncontrollable and full of the sound of gross sniffles. He forced himself to scoop up the Sleepstone and left the room at a dash. He didn't tell a soul what he had seen in the wheelhouse, and when Zelda enquired to the cut on his neck he told her the stupid lie that he had been practicing shaving.

Now Scarlett was herself again, or at least the person he had been used to Scarlett being. He had to wonder if it hadn't been closer to the real Scarlett that morning in the wheelhouse though. What could be so important to the pirate that it would drive her to tears? Clearly it had something to do with the Dreamworld, but Link dared not ask for fear of sending the pirate into another violent rage.

What was Scarlett? Was she really a pirate? Link felt as though he had known the sound of her sobs. Alone in the forest, he sometimes sobbed like that and thought about the mother and father he had never known and what his life may have been like if things were different. Could Scarlett be afraid and alone too? There was no way of knowing.

Zig scooped Link up by the back of his tunic, setting him down astride the horse and bringing the beast to a tromping gallop. They had acquired the horses from a caravan of traders out on the foreign plains to the East of the mountains. The traders had been garbed in strange robes, and had high foreheads and great hoops pierced through their ears. Link had never seen their kind before, and watched with interest as Gwendolin had bargained with them in an unfamiliar tongue. In the end they paid fifteen rupees per horse, which wasn't an altogether bad deal.

Zig's clockwork arm had been repaired and was looking sturdier than ever. The pirate had spent the previous evening showing off the extra flares of ingenuity he had added to the latest version of his prosthetic.

"I added a hookshot directly into the forearm," Zig had said, "It makes it a bit bulkier, but in the end I think it was worth the extra weight. Not like I couldn't use the exercise. Also, I was thinking about how difficult things have been without being able to communicate directly with the Stalfos while we're away. Thankfully, young Zelda has helped me with a solution."

"You can't really see it, but I believe Zig has placed the gemstone in the wrist. Is that correct?" The pirate nodded slyly at Zelda. The Princess smiled, "I have charged the stone with a stored spell. Usually this spell is a means of teleportation to a designated location set up by the caster manually. It's normally only good for one use, but since I've modified the effect of the spell to allow for only the transfer of sound rather than a physical body it should hold its charge significantly longer. Essentially it will allow Zig to communicate with the wheelhouse from anywhere within a range of about ten miles as long as there is not any kind of magical interference."

"So it's like a cup on a string?" said Gwen.

"Um," said Zelda, "Essentially, I suppose, yes… although I feel that somewhat detracts from the considerable amount of engineering that went into the device on mine and Mr. Zig's part."

The group of them had been getting along well, except for Scarlett who mostly kept to herself. Link found himself thinking of Kef and Gwen more like older siblings than kidnappers or murderous pirates. Zig had taken on a sort of fatherly quality for Zelda and him. He was clearly the oldest of the pirates, far older than Scarlett who couldn't have been more than thirty.

Once Zelda had brought this up in a casual manner, asking why it was Scarlett and not the elder Zig who lead the Shiekah. The answer was concise: only women could lead the Shiekah. A male, regardless of age or experience, was simply not cut out for the title of matriarch.

Then there was Zelda… Link didn't know exactly how to describe his feelings for Zelda. She was the warmest, most comforting person he'd ever met in his life. He found himself sometimes tripping up over his own words when talking to her, and wasn't sure why his heart rate seemed to increase whenever the girl was near to him. She'd more than once caught him staring at her dumbly, his jaw slackened and his eyes bright, which had inevitable caused him to turn away blushing. The Princess, however, would only smile at the boy and sometimes coyly offer him a wink. There was not a person in the world who had ever meant more to Link than Zelda did.

Even wrapped up in the form fitting Shiekah garb, her face covered by scarf and turban, and her wonderful golden curls entrapped in the white wrapping of a length of cloth, he could not help but steal affectionate glances at the girl as he watched her riding ahead of him, her arms wrapped around Gwen's waist to keep herself on the horse.

Zig saw Link staring, and rather than saying anything to the boy the pirate gave himself a wry smile as he snapped the reigns and made his steed come trotting up alongside Gwendolin and Zelda.

"Hey, Link!" said Zelda, glancing over at the boy. Her scarf was pulled down so that he could see her face, and she beamed at him with eyes of vibrant blue.

"Hey, Zelda," said Link, pulling the Keaton mask away from his face, "How are you liking the mountains?"

"They're beautiful," replied the girl, "I've never seen this part of Hyrule before. I've spent most of my life in the castle. It's hard to believe that this kind of wilderness still exists in the world, after having spent so much time in stone towers and landscaped courtyards. It's refreshing. How about you? Don't you think it's pretty?"

"Of course I think you're pretty," said Link, and then he immediately began to stutter, "I mean, I meant the mountains, the mountains are pretty, not you. I mean, you are pretty! Just that's not what I meant to say…"

Zelda was laughing. Link felt like he was going to vomit.

"Well, thank you, Link," said Zelda, warmly, "I'll take it as a compliment that you could confuse me with a place so wonderful."

"Uh…" Link felt his cheeks burning, "Yeah."

He and Zelda shared a moment of silent and comfortable eye contact.

"Okay, kids," boomed Scarlett from the front of the pack, "Costumes on. Kakariko village is just over the next ridge."

Zelda pulled the scarf up over her face so that only her blue eyes were visible. Link replaced the Keaton mask over his face, glad for a place to hide his blushing cheeks.

Over the ridge a sight of strange wonder awaited them. Kakariko was absolutely nothing like the crowded pollution of castle town. It was a whole different animal.

People were everywhere, moving this way and that, working and toiling away in the glorious mountain sun. There were carts drawn by horses or oxen, and a powerful steam locomotive blasted its whistle to the sky nearby. Here was a city which still lived and breathed, unlike cramped castle town and its claustrophobic alleyways. A single long road was its dominating feature, at the center heavily populated by buildings of myriad color and design. At the extremities of the central highway, there were the skeletons of buildings still being erected, in a constant, living procession of rising door frames, and pouring cement foundations. Many smaller roads diverged off the main, ending sometimes in alleyways or in some cases looping back around to join the main road once more at a different point. At the extremities of some of these side roads existed tiny miniature ghettos of pitched tents and unhitched carriages where transient laborers made their modest camps whilst doing whatever jobs there were to be done. There were no guards patrolling in the streets, and there were no walls of stone or stacks of belching smoke. The only smoke at all seemed to be coming in one consistent column of charcoal black from somewhere over the farthest ridge and up the slope of the tall mountain which Kakariko was nestled at the foot of, as if a fire was raging somewhere farther off.

"Okay, little bugs," said Gwendolin, "Keep to your selves, and don't say anything to anyone. We're gonna stop in at the tavern and water the horses and find out what the state of things has been at the Goron mines since Nyarlath has seized control of Hyrule Castle. If all goes well, then we should be headed to the quarry within a couple of hours."

Closer to the town, Link could hear the clamor of voices, and smell the pleasant smell of cooking meat mixing with the earthy smell of freshly turned soil and the curious and sour aromas of animal excrement and burning sulfur. Winds whipped clouds of dust and pollen through the air, and somewhere a bell was clanging at the departure of a train.

They took the main road all the way to the center of town, and no one paid them any heed. The pirates had dressed themselves in plain Shiekah jumpsuits, devoid of any symbol, their hands and boots wrapped in white cloth, and their hats and bandanas left behind on the Stalfos. Even Scarlett had traded her crimson Shiekah eye patch for a plain black one.

Scarlett led them to a two-story building with a big balcony on the upper level. The sign out front simply read 'tavern', which was a far cry from the hoity-toity names similar establishments in Castle Town assigned to themselves like 'Save the King' or 'the Deku Barrel'.

They hitched the horses up, and Scarlett and Zig went inside the tavern to see what they could find out. Gwendolin remained outside with Link and Zelda, where they all lounged over the railing of the tavern's porch, watching the horses lap dirty trough water into their drooling mouths.

"What do you suppose the Goron mines are like?" said Zelda.

"I don't know," replied Link, "I guess they must be pretty dirty. And loud. And they probably have lots of lava and fire too."

"My father was always really proud of the mines," said Zelda, "He said they were the cornerstone of Hyrule's economic future. He and Gorbu, the Goron patriarch, are sworn brothers. I always wanted him to show me the mines, but he said they were too dangerous for kids."

"And he was right," said Gwendolin, "The mines can be quite treacherous. I've only been to them once, a long time ago with my mother. I tripped over a bombflower and nearly blew the entire tunnel up! Luckily, Gorons are tough as nails, and the one my mother was bartering with just curled up on top of the flower and sort of hugged the explosion out. It didn't even scratch him."

"Wow," said Link, trying to picture a Goron hugging an explosion.

"Yes, Gorons are nearly completely immune to fire as I understand it," said Zelda, "They can even work inside the craters of active volcanoes where its much too hot for Hylians to go."

"Unless you have a Goron tunic," replied Gwendolin, "With those magical garments even regular folk like us can survive at incredible temperatures. Just one of the many unique items manufactured by Goron hands. That's part of why the Gorons are so rich these days. A lot of money to be made in mining."

"I'd love to learn to be a miner!" said Link, "Why, I'd have my own Goron tunic, and I'd get the special tools to pick the bombflowers!"

The boy climbed up on the railing of the porch, standing in a heroic pose and trying to flex his scrawny arms. It might have been convincing, if not for the Keaton mask.

"And I'd be big and strong, and I'd dig until I found the biggest diamond in the tunnels. Then I'd bring it to you, Zelda," said Link.

"Link, don't be so silly. You look like a fool up there," said Zelda, with a giggle.

"I don't care!" said the boy, "I'm serious, I'd love to live a life like that. Working hard and making swords and armor and digging in tunnels all day. Beats stealing bread from the market, that's for sure."

"Okay, Mr. Junior Goron," said Gwendolin, "Get down from there, you're liable to fall and hurt yourself."

"I'm not gonna fall, I'm…" he promptly fell.

"Ouch!" cried the boy. He had landed on his butt in the dirt on the other side of the railing, but something soft and oddly textured had broken his fall. He looked around, trying his best to see the details of the object he was sitting on through the slits in the Keaton mask. It felt like some kind of plant.

"Hrrrm!" someone behind Link was clearing their throat in indignation, "I'd quite like to know what it is you're doing sitting on my house!"

"Huh?"

Link looked up to see a tall figure standing behind him on stilt-like legs of pliant wood. Its body was a pear shape, and it had long, skinny arms. Its eyes were staring orbs of glowing red, like the dying embers of a forest fire. Its head was a capped off cone, crowned with a natural hat of wide, frond-like leaves. Link knew this sort of creature well: it was a Business Scrub, a kind of Deku Scrub which Link had avoided like a foul smell during his time as a thief in the woods, in no small part due to their severe and unpleasant nature.

"Your house?" said Link, and then he realized that the plant-creature meant the shrub he had just squashed with his butt, "Oh. Sorry!"

"How rude," said the Business Scrub, ushering Link aside, "What are you supposed to be, anyway? A bunny rabbit?"

"Oh, no, I'm a Keaton," said Link, "It's like a fox I guess."

"Link, come on," said Zelda, "You know we aren't supposed to be talking to any strangers."

"Oh, right," said Link, "Sorry! I have to go!"

"Not so fast!" said the Business Scrub, seizing Link by the arm. The tree-creature was surprisingly powerful. "I believe some sort of compensation is in order."

"What?"

"I want some rupees for the damages you've caused to my home," said the scrub, "I think ten should suffice."

"But I don't have any money," said Link.

"Sir," said Gwendolin, "Forgive me, but the child is with me. If you'd just wait a moment for my associate to return we can pay you whatever you like, okay?"

"You ought to be keeping a better eye on the little ruffian," said the Business Scrub. He looked down at Link, his blank looking, fiery gaze appraising the boy with an air of disgust. Suddenly, the fronds on the scrubs head perked up as if to convey alarm. "What's this?"

The Business Scrub pulled Link's hand up to his face, just about ripping the boy's arm out of its socket. Link felt his heart sink. There, on the back of his hand, was the little triangle shaped scar he had been branded with three long years ago.

"Thief!" cried the Business Scrub, "This one is a thief! Someone, help! There are thieves here!"

"Unhand him!" shouted Zelda, climbing under the railing. She ran to the Business Scrub and clutched at his arm, but the tree-creature swatted the girl away with one powerful hand. Zelda fell to the ground, and her turban and scarf came loose.

"I know you!" cried the scrub, "You're Princess Zelda! You're wanted for high treason! Someone, help! I'm being accosted by a thief and the traitor Princess Zelda!"

"That's enough out of you!" cried Gwen, leaping over the rail and pummeling the scrub on the nose. It staggered back a couple of feet, pulling Link to the ground. The Keaton mask went tumbling into the dirt.

A small crowd of onlookers had stopped to see what the commotion was. Gwen was helping Zelda to her feet, and the Princess was trying desperately to cover her face once more with the scarf, but the damage had already been done. People were murmuring suspiciously, and one voice cried out, "Look there, it's her! Princess Zelda!"

"We've got to move, now," said Gwen, urgently. Link scrambled to pick up the Keaton mask.

"What's going on out here?"

Scarlett was emerging from the doorway to the tavern, Zig close on her heels. The pirates quickly realized what was happening, and Zig came bounding over the railing to unhitch the horses.

"For the love of the Goddess, what have you let these two idiots get us into!" shouted Scarlett. Gwen gave no reply; she only picked up Zelda by the waist and dashed over to her horse to mount up. Already a great commotion was going on in the street, and it had become apparent that in moments the entire town would know that Zelda was among them.

Scarlett mounted her horse, and came galloping by, leaning low to sweep Link up into the saddle. The Business Scrub was screaming, "Stop! Thieves! Traitor!" but to no avail. The trio of horses was already galloping away at breakneck speed as people in the crowd leapt aside to make room for the charging stallions.

"What the hell happened back there?" demanded Scarlett.

"I don't know!" exclaimed Link, "It all went by so fast. He saw the mark on the back of my hand, and everything just went crazy."

"Damned foolish boy!" shouted Scarlett, "You may well have killed us all."

The horses thundered up the street in the direction of the mountain slope. People were yelling and screaming at them as they went, and Link could feel a sick feeling rising in the pit of his chest. They were a good distance from the edge of the town, and it would be a mad dash the rest of the way. Gwendolin's horse came galloping up along side them, and the first mate shouted to her captain.

"Captain, they're rousing some kind of guard. I saw them mounting horses, but I do not think that they were Hylian soldiers," said the pirate.

"Then what the hell are they?" shouted Scarlett.

"Look, behind us!" said Zig.

Link glanced over his shoulder as best he could without compromising his grip on Scarlett's back. They were being pursued by several figures on horses, but they were not Hylian. The creatures were tall, with the normal bipedal shape of a man, save for their whippy tails and reptilian heads. They were wearing armor, and evil-looking curved swords of obsidian black hung at their waists.

"Lizalfos," said Scarlett, "Vicious, and fast, but dumb as cuccoos. Maybe we can throw them off. Follow my lead!"

Scarlett jerked the reigns and the horse slanted its gallop as far to the right as it could at the speed it was going. They were suddenly galloping down one of the narrow side roads which led off from the Kakariko highway. Beggars and barflies alike threw themselves up against the wooden and stone walls to avoid being trampled. Gwendolin and Zelda were right behind them, with Zig close on their heels, and some distance behind him the Lizalfos were maintaining their pursuit.

They rounded another corner, bursting forth into a suburban avenue. The horse had to jump to try and miss a cuccoo coop, but its hooves grazed the thing. Thankfully, the dilapidated little structure was not sturdy, and the horse glided through it as if it weren't even there. The brittle and sun-dried wood exploded, and feathers came bursting into the air as cuccoos scattered in every direction.

Gwen and Zig's horses cleared the debris without any problem, but one of the Lizalfos was not so lucky. As he rounded the corner, his horse tried to jump over the scattered debris too soon and ended up landing out of step, snapping its ankle with a brutal crack. The animal tumbled over itself, and horse and rider went right through the window of a nearby residence.

There was a whistling sound as something flew by Link's head at high speed. He glanced back again, and saw that the Lizalfos were shooting at them with bows as they gave chase!

"Scarlett," said Link, "They are shooting at us!"

"I'm on it!" Scarlett yanked the reigns again, and the horse took another offshoot into a small back alley. Zig and Gwendolin's horses continued on the same path they had been taking and the pursuing Lizalfos elected to follow the horse that carried Princess Zelda.

In the back alley, completely unaware of the oncoming stampede, a street merchant was trying to scam some children out of a few rupees. He had a table set up, and some deku seeds and a slingshot, and he had painted swirled red targets on some bits of deku bark for kids to shoot at for a prize. The only trick was, no matter how many times you hit the bull's-eye the bit in the middle would never fall out. It appeared to be cutout from the front, but in actuality it had been glued back in on the back. A clever ruse to part some foolish children with some cash they didn't _really _need.

"Go on, why don't you try it again?" coaxed the merchant.

"Uh, no thanks mister," said the child, his eyes focused on something over the man's shoulder, "I gotta go."

"Hey where are you… ?"

The sentence was left unfinished, the final words traded for a startled scream as the charging horse knocked the man aside onto the cobbles. Scarlett leaned down low as the horse charged past, snatching one of the bits of deku bark.

"Thanks!" cried the pirate. The street merchant was left in the dirt, shaking his fist.

"Here," said Scarlett, "Use this."

"A piece of wood?" said Link, "What for?"

"You'll see!" said Scarlett.

She tugged on the reigns and led the horse around another corner. Up ahead, the road rejoined the path of Zig and Gwen, and they emerged just in time to take their place behind the other two. Link looked back at the Lizalfos, who were now only feet behind him and Scarlett. The nearest of the lizard-men drew his bow and let fly a heavy-shafted arrow.

"Ahh!" screamed Link. Chunk! –went the arrow into the bit of deku bark. "Ohhh," said the boy, understanding dawning.

The edge of the city was growing nearer. The group of horses barreled through every obstacle, leaping over low fences, shrubs and passing cuccoos, and miraculously avoiding trampling any pedestrian. Soon, the end of the highway was in sight, and they were approaching a narrow road which went winding its way up the side of the tall mountain. Saw horses had been set across the road, acting as an implied barrier to any people seeking to head up the mountain. A single, portly looking man with a bushy mustache and pointed ears sticking out from the tufts of brown hair on his head was standing guard. He stood up as he saw the oncoming charge, throwing his hands up in a halting gesture.

"Stop, you can't go this way! The Mines are off limits right now!"

The pirates ignored the man entirely, urging their horses forward with a snap of the reigns. The stallions leapt over the barrier magnificently, the portly guard flinging himself down to the dirt to avoid being run over. The Lizalfos were quick to follow, the hooves of their horses thundering the ground all around the crouching man, and kicking up a whirl of stirring dust.

Up the mountain path they went, leaping rocks and bounding around corners, arrows flying dangerously from the bows of their pursuers. Link's shield of deku bark looked like a pin cushion now, bristling with the feather-tails of seven of the Lizalfos' heavy arrows. The boy's arms were growing tired from the awkward way he had to hold the thing, but he was able to cling to the saddle just enough to ensure he stayed atop the galloping steed.

"This wasn't the plan," said Scarlett, "There was some kind of accident in the mines last night, and the whole operation is in emergency shutdown. The whole thing reeks of Nyarlath's treachery. I had wanted to investigate further before we flung ourselves headlong into things, but you two drooling toddlers have ruined that chance, so it's all uphill from here."

"How are we going to get away from them?"

"I'm working on it," shouted the pirate, "Just keep those arrows off my back."

Around the next corner, the mountain road curled into a small valley between two steep slopes. On their right, the rocky wall of the mountain rose to incredible heights over their heads, and to their left the sheer face of the cliff dropped down to depths sickening and vertigo-inducing.

"Twelve o'clock!" cried Zig.

Up ahead of them, set on an outcropping a few feet further up the cliff, a group of Lizalfos was waiting, gibbering at each other in draconic hisses and squeaks. They were loading up some round objects into a trebuchet, and turning the wooden platform the thing was set on to take aim at the group of galloping horses.

Chink –whoosh! BOOM!

The bombs went flying, peppering the rock wall to the right of them and bursting into tremendous and fiery explosions. Boulders and dirt came sliding down the hill with an earsplitting rumble. The ground beneath the horse's hooves cracked and shifted. Luckily, their horses were of a powerful and hard-nerved stock, bounding gracefully through the tumult of falling debris like trained acrobats. The stallions whinnied, leapt and dodged, tromped on iron-shod hooves, and came stampeding through the smoke and wreckage at top speed.

Some of the Lizalfos were caught up in the landslide, the rocks sweeping the horses legs out from under them and sending them tumbling to their deaths off the high ledge of the cliff. Their pursuers were down to four now, but the trebuchet on the far ridge was already winding up to release another volley.

"Hang on, kid, I've got a plan that oughta cool them off a bit," said Scarlett, and she pulled the reigns of the horse hard, making it leap up the rough incline which lead towards the outcropping the trebuchet was perched upon.

Chink –whoosh! BOOM!

Another volley fired. The road around them exploded, and Gwendolin and Zelda's horse stumbled a bit but kept its footing. More rocks came sliding down, and part of the path they were on tumbled away, but the Lizalfos were once again only successful in taking out one of their own riders. The trebuchet team began winding up their turret once more, but now Scarlett and Link were only yards away. The stallion came thundering up to the trebuchet just as it was about to fire. The eyes of the Lizalfos burned with red fury, and Link could see their awful forked tongues hissing from their gaping, reptilian mouths. One of the creatures swung low and hamstringed Scarlett's horse, sending Link and Scarlett tumbling down towards the road. Link put the piece of deku bark out like a sled, the bristle of arrows snapping as he rode the sturdy piece of wood down the rock wall towards the main road below.

Scarlett was in mid fall when she pulled her pistol, and before her back hit the hard stone wall of the mountain she leveled the barrel and fired one expert shot into the trebuchet's cache of bombs.

BABOOM!

The entire wall of the mountain exploded into a twenty foot fireball. Rocks and debris flew everywhere. The road below the trebuchet slid away, and the remaining Lizalfos were swept cleanly off the side of the mountain just as the remaining two horses galloped out of harm's way. Link came to a sliding stop near the edge of the cliff, just barely still on the road.

Only Scarlett hadn't made it a safe distance from the blast. She was essentially unharmed, but plummeting fast off the side of the cliff. The pirate watched in stark terror as the sharp rocks below came rushing at her.

Kachink!

Something seized the pirate by the belt, and she felt whiplashed as she suddenly reversed direction. She could hear the sound of the chain reeling back into its socket, and Zig caught Scarlett as best he could when the hookshot had fully contracted. The force was still enough to knock him and Scarlett off his horse, and they landed roughly in the dirt.

Gwen came galloping around, and reared her horse up to a stop nearby the rest of the group. No one was chasing them up the mountain road now, passage from Kakariko was impossible with the cliff blown out the way it was. Zelda and Gwen dismounted and went running to check on Link, Scarlett and Zig.

"Captain, are you okay?" said Gwen.

"Been better," replied Scarlett, trying to push herself up. She clutched one elbow painfully, rubbing a spot where her jumpsuit had been shredded to bloody tatters as she slid down the mountain. Zig sat up, bruised but still breathing.

"Link, oh my Goddess, are you okay?" said Zelda, rushing to the boy's side.

"Yeah," said Link, lifting himself up. His knees were both scraped badly, blood and dirt caking his shins, and his clothes and mask were covered in dirt and black soot from the explosion. The shield of deku bark was singed and cracked, but still in mostly one piece. Somehow, the Keaton mask had stayed on through the whole ordeal.

"Zelda, I'm so sorry!" said Link, "It was so stupid and careless of me to act like that back there. This is all my fault."

"Just shut up, don't talk like that," said Zelda, "There was no way you could have known what would happen. What matters is that we're all still alive."

The last bits of rock and dust were sliding their way down the Cliffside as the rockslide the explosion had caused was beginning to settle. Looking back toward Kakariko, they could see that the mountain passage was completely impassible. They wouldn't be going back that way, but neither would they be followed by anyone on foot or horseback.

"That was way too close for my tastes," said Scarlett, sitting up in the dirt. She was wincing in pain at the wounds on her arms and legs, and drew a flask from her belt which she took a big swig from before pouring liberally over the afflicted areas. She hissed at the sting of the alcohol as it soaked into her wounds.

"They won't be coming after us any time soon," said Gwen.

"Not that way," said Zelda, approaching the pirates, "But now Nyarlath will be sure to know we are here. He won't be far behind."

A sound caught Link's ears, and he looked up the side of the cliff to see a round object tumbling down from rock to rock from the place where the trebuchet had been moments ago. He squinted to try and make out the details of the thing, but he didn't realize what it was until it came to rest near Zelda's feet. The princess had her back to the bomb, and the fuse was smoking down to its very last bit.

"Zelda!" screamed Link, charging forward. He put the little wedge of deku bark between him and the explosive, hugging it tightly to protect the princess from the impending blast.

BOOM!

The sound was deafening and the explosion powerful. The deku shield disintegrated into a million tiny pieces, sending shards of wood and shrapnel deep into Link's chest. The boy lost consciousness as the force of the explosion sent him flying up into the air and sailing over the ledge and down towards the jagged rocks below.

"Link!" the Princess had been knocked to the ground by the force of the blast, but she was on her feet immediately. She ran to the ledge and peered over for any sign of him, but all that remained of the boy was the Keaton mask, its face blackened by dust and soot, and its ear chipped and cracked.

"Link! Link!" screamed Zelda. Zig was suddenly at her side, pulling her away from the ledge by her shoulder.

"Zelda," said Zig.

"Link! No!" screamed Zelda, her eyes welling up with tears, "No! Link! We have to get him! He's hurt! Link!"

"Zelda!" said Zig.

"Let me go! Let me go, I have to help him!"

"Zelda, he's gone," said Zig, gravely.

The princess began to sob pitifully, pressing her head to Zig's chest and shaking it back and forth in a feverish daze. The pirates remained there for a while in stunned silence, listening to the princess' pained cries and gazing down into the jagged mess of rocks below in disbelief.


	15. The Great Fairy of Magic

Chapter 15

The ride to the Goron quarry more resembled a funeral procession than it did the grand adventure Zelda had always imagined her first glimpse of the Goron mines to be. She didn't even glance at the road. She only held the broken Keaton mask in her hands and stared at it with blank eyes, the usual vibrancy of blue glassed over like a stormy sky. There weren't any more tears left in her. Her father had left her all alone in a world she was not just meant to survive but also meant to rule. How could anyone rule over all of this _chaos_?

Zelda was in Gwen's lap for most of the trip, on the same horse, which had carried them all the way to what she could only think of as the last time she saw Link. The pirate held the girl gently with one arm, keeping her from sliding off the horse. Zelda needed the help. She had not been able to stand properly after using her magic to heal Scarlett's badly cut legs. It had been a final act of mercy by the Goddess before a thick layer of clouds had descended over the mountain like a belated omen.

Eventually the winding trail leveled out high above the village, which they could see in the hazy distance, like a mosaic pattern of clashing colors and softly burning fires. Down the slope ahead of them, the Goron quarry waited like a silent palace of hewn stone, an inverted pyramid of steps, infinitely longer than wide, and graduating into the very heart of the ageless mountain.

"Do you see it?" said Scarlett, sharply.

Gwen brought the horse alongside her Captain. Zelda looked at Scarlett, and the pirate had no discernable emotion. She was chisled. Solid. Stone. Not a person at all, not with that mask on.

"Yes," said Gwendolin, "There's no one down there."

The canyon felt oppressive and haunted. They could hear the clopping of the horse's hooves echoing off the far side of the quarry like calling drums. They quickly elected to tie the animals up where they stood and continue on foot for fear of alerting someone hiding behind one of the million quiet doors which pock-marked the cavernous space before them. Scarlett approached the nearest door, motioned for the group of them to be quiet, and tested the handle. She tore the door open and leapt into the room, sword drawn. They found the chamber cold, the fire long since burned out, and the place deserted. Down the way they walked, and door after door they tried, until they came to the level below, and the level below that. Each level only crowned the next by about twelve feet, so they began using hookshots to go from one to the next without using the ramp ways, but that only made them lose count of which level had been last. The process became maddening until at last Scarlett called for a halt.

"Gwendolin," said Scarlett, "What do you make of this?"

"There aren't any Gorons here," said Gwen.

"And what do you suppose happened to all the Gorons?" said Scarlett, her eye closed and brow furrowed in thought.

"Killed," said Gwen, grimly, "Or captured, Captain."

"It seems to me that the wizard has already been here," said Scarlett, "Likely he's already found the temple we're looking for."

"Aye, Captain," said Gwen.

"What's on yer mind, Ms. Gwendolin," said Scarlett. It felt more like a demand than it did a question.

"We can't get it, can we?" said Gwen, "Without the boy. There's no way we can get it without him."

"We'll figure something out," said Scarlett, "We don't know until we get there."

"But you do know," said Gwen, "You know, and you're taking us there anyway."

"Are you saying that you aren't coming with me?" said Scarlett, "Are you saying that you're considering defecting from this crew, Ms. Gwendolin?"

"No, Captain," said Gwen, "I'm asking what our plan is now?"

Scarlett turned away from Gwen, walking over to the edge of the tier they were on. She gestured out over the open cavern with a broad sweep of her arm, as if presenting it to them.

"Look at this," said Scarlett, "Do you see what he can do? It's terrible. Whole races swept away with one motion of his hand. I won't bow to it though. Not I. I don't care if I can take that treasure from him or not. It's the only chance to undo anything that's happened now. And I'm gonna plunge like a poisoned dagger straight into the bastard's chest, with or without that boy. Him being gone doesn't change anything, not for me! I wasn't doing this for him."

"Then what do we _do_, Captain?" said Gwendolin, sternly. Her eyes seethed with choked up anger, but the First Mate stayed true to her station. She waited, breathlessly for Scarlett to reply.

"We find some Gorons," said Scarlett, "There were thousands of them, there may still be some left behind. We find them, and we get them to show us where the other Gorons were taken and where the entrance to the Temple of the Heart might be."

"We find Gorons," said Gwen, flatly, "So we just keep checking doors until either Nyarlath shows up to kill us or we find some Gorons that have all the answers to our problems?"

Gwen got right up in Scarlett's face.

"Aye, Captain," said Gwen, "I'll start searching immediately."

Gwen went to the nearest door and slammed her foot into it like a hammer. The door splintered where it had been deadlocked into the stone, swinging in on sturdy hinges and bouncing back from slamming on the rocky wall.

"Oh, look, empty!" yelled Gwen. She had fire in her eyes as she stormed on to the next door. She kicked it in too, knocking it clear off the hinges. "Oh, this one is empty too, Captain! Well, I'll let you know when I get to the end of the row."

Gwen went on down the line, knocking the doors off their hinges one after the other. Scarlett turned away in quiet frustration, glaring out at the other side of the quarry. Zelda watched the pirate silently gazing at the gallery of lifeless doors and felt like there had never been a more unpleasant moment in her life. There was nothing left in carrying on. Gwen was right, without Link there would be no retrieving a shard of the treasure. He was the only one among them who understood how to travel in the Dreamworld and recover the precious shards. Every moment they spent there was just a moment closer to them following in Link's footsteps, another resistance group snuffed out by the long and menacing arm of Nyarlath.

Zelda felt the tears welling up in her eyes, and she felt the breath leaving her chest completely. She was already beginning to sob as she dashed inside the nearby door; the first one Gwen had forcibly unhinged.

She found herself in a tiny room hewn out of the sandy-colored rock. It contained a hearth, which still burned with the slowly dying coals of a blacksmith's fire. Beside it, a smelting pot glowed, though its stock was steamy and cooling, and thick islands of solidifying gold floated at its surface. Zelda felt powerless to marvel at the sight of a quaint Goron hovel, or notice the one torch against the wall that was knocked askew. She collapsed beside the door and became reduced to sobs.

In the corner opposite Zelda, there was yet another thing the Princess had not noticed: an open wooden chest containing copious and various rocks. Inside it, something was gently stirring, making little more sound than a pebble landing on a pincushion.

"Hey, Doro," hissed one of the rocks.

"Yeah, Toro?" said the other.

"I think one of those lizard-men is back!" whispered Toro.

"Oh no!" said Doro, "What will we do Toro?"

"We have to go on the offensive!" said Toro, "We can't just hide here forever. What would the Legendary Hero do?"

"I dunno, Toro," said Doro, "I think we should just stay hidden and wait for dad. We're not big enough to fight lizard-men!"

"Come on, Doro, we're Gorons!" said Toro, as if this were plain to see, "We can do anything! Here, take this."

Toro handed Doro a jagged piece of Quartz, which they had been saving to eat for dinner that evening if they were still hiding in the food bin. Toro then selected his own jagged piece, and he brought his brother into a close huddle among the piled stones.

"Okay, Doro, on three we jump out and smack it a good one with these chunks of quartz," said Toro, "You got that?"

"Wait, Toro," said Doro, straining to listen. He thought he could hear the sound of someone crying gently. "Do you hear that Toro? I think the lizard-man is crying."

"Can't be!" said Toro. He silenced himself, straining his young Goron ears to listen. He couldn't believe it, but he heard sobs! "It's gotta be a trick!"

"I dunno, Toro," said Doro, "It sounds pretty sad. I'm gonna see what's wrong with it."

"Doro, no!"

It was too late. Doro stood up, the chunk of quartz still in his hand, and shook off the other rocks, climbing over the side of the treasure chest with little pebbly noises. The figure slumped in the corner near the door was crying so intensely, the young Goron could see now, that it hadn't even heard him get out of the bin. It was a Hylian, too! He hadn't seen many Hylians, but it seemed shorter than the ones he'd seen before, so he guessed it must be a child as well.

"Toro, it's a Hylian!" cried Doro.

"What?" said Toro, standing.

Zelda suddenly noticed that she was not alone in the room. She squeaked with fright, her eyes snapping up in horror to find… a pair of tiny round faces with beady black eyes, flat noses and smiling mouths.

"You're Gorons," said Zelda, "Baby Gorons. But where are all the adults?"

"Oh, thank goodness," said Doro, "We thought you were a lizard-man!"

"Doro!" said Toro, "Don't be rude. Remember what dad always says. 'Politeness is part of the essential Goron character!' Hello, Hylian. I'm Toro, and this is my brother Doro. He was born fifteen centimeters below me. Pleased to meetcha! What's your name?"

"I'm Zelda," she said, "And the pleasure is mine. Well met young Gorons. I apologize for my present state, but it has been a difficult journey that has brought me here."

"That's okay," said Toro, "But why were you crying?"

"Yeah," said Doro, "Did the dragon come and get your daddy, too?"

"No," said Zelda, "What dragon? What happened to all the other Gorons, anyway?"

"Lizard-men came and took them away in the middle of the night," replied Doro, "They were working for the Evil King! We know where he took them though. The same place the Evil King took the Gorons last time."

"Yeah," said Toro, "Deep into the temple under the mountain, for the big fiery dragon Volvagia to gobble up!"

"What are you talking about?" said Zelda, "You mean the Lizalfos took your father?"

"Yeah, the lizard-men took everyone away, but they're just doing what the Evil King says," said Toro, "Whenever the Evil King is around, all the moblins and dragons and re-deads and every mean monster you can think of has to do whatever he says."

"But that doesn't explain why you were crying," said Doro, "What's wrong, Zelda? Maybe we could help."

"No, you cannot, but thank you very much, Doro," said Zelda, gently, "Its just that… well… well a very dear friend of mine left."

"Oh," said Doro, "Well when is he coming back?"

"He's not coming back," said Zelda, fighting another outburst of sobs.

"Well," said Toro, giving Doro a worried glance, "We're real sorry about your friend, Zelda. But you mustn't worry! Just when things look hopeless, that's when the Legendary Hero turns up."

"Yeah!" said Doro, "Its in all of dad's stories. Any time anything seems like it can't be fixed, the Legendary Hero shows up and fixes it. You'll see. That's why we're not scared of the dragon."

"Oh, Doro," said Zelda, sadly. How could she explain to the little creature that things weren't the way they seemed in myths and fables? There wasn't such a thing as a legendary hero who could never lose. There were just people, trying as they might to get by day to day. The world was harsh. It was like the dragon in the baby Goron's bedtime story: it _would _eat you. But how do you say that to a child?

"Come on, you two," said Zelda, standing, "It simply will not do for you to stay here all alone. Come with me for now. My friends will probably want to talk to you as well."

"Okay Zelda," said Toro, taking the Princess' hand.

They headed toward the door, but Zelda turned back. Doro still stood at the center of the room. His eyes were cast worriedly at the spilt bin of gemstones and rocks he and his brother had been hiding in.

"Dad made us promise not to leave," said Doro.

"Doro, if we don't leave then we might never see dad again," said Toro, "Its okay, we can trust Zelda. Come on!"

"Okay," said Doro, but he was still glancing back reluctantly as they ventured out into the quarry.

Scarlett was still standing near the edge of the tier they were on, gazing out at the deserted floor of the Goron quarry. Zig was up on the tier above, his legs dangling off the edge and eyes closed in a meditative silence. Gwen was far down the aisle, still trudging from door to door, searching for some survivor of the mysterious Goron disappearance.

"Scarlett," said Zelda, quietly.

The pirate turned around to regard the princess, and looked as though she might be about to say something snide before her eyes came to rest on the pair of tiny Gorons at Zelda's heels.

"Babies," said Scarlett, remembering a place to be snide after all, "Well, doesn't that just figure? Well, can you two pebbles speak, or what?"

"Hello, Hylian," said Doro, stepping forward, "I'm Doro, and this is my brother Toro. He was born fifteen centimeters above me but dad says I'm heavier. Pleased to meet you! What's your name?"

"You can call me Captain, ya crusty little twerp," said Scarlett, "Now tell me, what happened to your daddy?"

"Dad and the other Gorons were taken away by the lizard-men," said Doro, "but we already told Zelda that. She was much nicer asking us about it than you were, too, you big meanie."

"Yeah, we're not crust at all!" said Toro, "We're pure bedrock. Go miners!"

"Go miners!" echoed Doro.

"Calm down, ye little ruffians," said Scarlett, "Where exactly did these lizard-men take your daddy?"

"The temple under the mountain, for sure!" said Toro, "That's where the Evil King takes the Gorons."

"Temple under the mountain, you say," said Scarlett, scratching her chin in contemplation.

"Scarlett, they are just kids," said Zelda, "They are talking about a bedtime story their father told them. They do not know what happened to the Gorons any more than we do beyond that the Lizalfos took them away. Do you not see? It is time to go now, Scarlett. We have to get away from these mountains while there is still a chance. No one else has to die."

"You have no idea what you're saying, Princess," said Scarlett, frowning, "You have no clue what I'd be sacrificing if I turned back now."

"Scarlett," said Zelda, "Is it worth the lives of these children as well?"

"Hey, look at that!" cried Toro.

"It's the fairy light!" said Doro, pointing at the sky, "Just like in the stories. See? I knew he would come."

"Yeah! It's the Legendary Hero!"

Zelda and Scarlett turned to regard the smoke-gray sky above the silent quarry. A shaft of glowing blue light was coming down like a beam from heaven. Its column landed on the ground at the bottom of the quarry, and from its highest point in the milky clouds overhead a remote figure, like a speck of black tinged with forest green, began to descend.

"What in the world is that?" said Zig, from his perch on the upper tier.

Scarlett snapped open her spyglass, which she kept at her side. She raised the thing and pointed it into the dreary overcast. She focused on the silhouette drifting earthbound in the glowing column of light.

"Well I'll be keel hauled," said Scarlett, her mouth agape.

* * *

He could hear the melodic, haunting tinkle of distant harps, and feel the gentle, soothing breeze upon his cheeks. He was flying now, high over the forest through an open sky, the endless canopy of green stretching away to the golden horizon, and all the fairy lights dancing upon the leaves. There was a peace within him unlike any he had ever felt, and no more could he remember any pain. Some part of him was vaguely aware of the shards of wood and shrapnel in his chest, and the blood soaking his clothing, but that all seemed so faraway and surreal, as if it happened to someone else in a long forgotten dream.

"Hello, Link."

The soft and comforting feel of straw and feathers, the gentle call of birds in the trees, the earthen aroma of dew soaked leaves. Was he back in the forest? Back in his tree house, safe and sound again?

"Wake up."

The words made no sense, yet the ring of their tiny, melodic voice felt so familiar. He felt as though he should laugh, or cry, but he could not. He could not even move. Yet so acute were the aromas, so real the soft touches of his cushions.

"The Great Deku Tree wants to talk to you!"

Could he really wake up like this, so far away from everything, as if his life had been a mere dream to wake up from?

"Link, get up! Hey, c'mon!"

The voice was urging him to consciousness, but he felt more as if he were drifting further into sleep. Where had he been all this time? There was a girl somewhere out there with green hair wasn't there? Out there through the window? But no… that was wrong…

"Can Hyrule's destiny really depend on such a lazy boy?"

Zelda needed him. Zelda needed him there beside her. In the world where people lived and died, not the one that comes next. He could wake up there another time.

His eyes were open.

Everything shimmered. Curtains of gently falling water poured from nothingness down the dark walls. Pearlescent white stones comprised a fountain surrounded with expertly carved columns. There was a shining blue light above the water. Link watched it twinkle at him, his feet not touching the ground. His mind swam with opiate haze, and he could no longer tell what was real.

"You finally woke up," said the voice, and though it was the same voice as before its tone had changed. Soft and full of melody it remained, but tinged with the beautiful sadness of a tragic ballad rather than the joyful piping of forest flutes.

"Who are you?" Link managed to whisper.

"I am Navi, the Great Fairy of Magic," said the voice. The twinkling blue light began to sharpen, and the haze of Link's vision focused on the silhouette of a woman. She floated over the fountain before him, her hair shining azure, and her lips and eye shadow deepest blue. She smiled at him dazzlingly, her loving orbs watching him through dark pupils at the center of golden irises.

"And you," began the woman, wistfully, "You are Link, the hero of this land, and my friend."

"I don't know you," said Link, weakly.

"Your mind does not know me, but your soul does," she said, "It is an old soul, yours, and worn from over use. Tired, and longing for rest. Yet it still shines as bright as when it were band new."

"I don't understand," said Link.

She floated closer to him, her soft hands caressing his cheeks lovingly. Waves of euphoric warmth spread through him and whatever dull throb of pain he might have felt seemed to melt away. He looked at her and saw that she was beautiful.

"Don't worry, Link," she said, "I will send you back to your friends. You have a world to save, after all."

Then she kissed him. He had never been kissed before. It made his lips tingle with electricity.

"I've always loved you, Link," she said, "Make me proud."

A blue column of light came down around him, and he could feel himself drifting upward. The light was so bright! The room faded away like the ghostly shadow of a time long past. His head was becoming clearer. He wanted to say more to the fairy, but even as his senses became sharpened the entire scene was growing rapidly more distant from his mind. He began to feel as though it all had been a pleasant dream just as the sweet, beautiful, distant voice rang out clearly once more in his longing ears.

"When battle has made you weary, please come back and see me…"

And then there was nothing.

* * *

When he came to, Zelda had him in her arms. The world was a blur all around him, all he could see were her blue eyes, red with tears.

"Zelda, don't cry," said Link.

"Always come back to me, okay?" she said, her lips trembling with the effort of speaking through the tears, "You have to promise me, right now, that you'll always come back."

He had never seen anything so devastatingly heartbreaking in his entire life. There was nothing he could do wrong if Zelda wanted him to do it. It had been one of his worst fears that he would die someday and no one would even care. Now he knew, he had found his family. He had found a thing he could die proudly for.

"I promise," said Link.

She hugged him for a long time.

"Captain, are you tearing up?" said Gwen, quietly, her elbow poking Scarlett in the rib.

The elder pirate turned away.

"Its all this dust down here," hissed Scarlett, "You try going on like this with only one eye."

"Mmmhmm," hummed Gwendolin, brightly. Scarlett acted grumpy, but the feeling was absolute and unmistakable. Love was in the air, like a static charge, and up their spirits went like standing hairs. Suddenly the empty Goron quarry seemed just a little bit less sad a place.


	16. The Legendary Hero

Chapter 16

"Well, boy, you're harder to kill than an angry keese," said Scarlett. They were in one of the larger chambers that branched off from the massive valley of the Goron Quarry. This room housed a kind of mineral spa which the Gorons were fond of, but one of the pools of earthy water contained icy crystal liquid that was wholesome for Hylians and horses to drink. They brought the two horses they had left to come and water up.

Toro and Doro had not left Link's side since the boy had come to.

"Woah, look Doro, he's got the green tunic and everything," said Toro, "Just like in all of dad's stories. He's a little short, but so what?"

"Is it true, Mr. Hylian?" said Doro, "Are you really him? The Legendary Hero?"

Link had protested that he was not the legendary anything, but the two young Gorons didn't seem to pay him any mind. The truth was that Link still felt awful for what had happened in Kakariko village that morning, and wasn't feeling very heroic at all. Zelda had been thrilled to see him again, but that thrill had quickly faded to annoyance when he recounted his story of how he had been saved.

"She called herself the Great Fairy of Magic," Link had said, "I think she may have had another name, but it's hard to remember. The whole thing feels like a blur. All I remember is feeling really light, like I was floating. Then she kissed me and I woke up in Zelda's arms."

"She _kissed _you?" said Zelda.

"The Great Fairies," said Zig, his arms crossed and head bowed in stoic recognition, "The legends of them are older than time. The fairies are the immortal children of the three Golden Goddesses of creation. Long ago, when the world was first born, the goddesses created the fairies to be the keepers of the balance of magic in all of Hylia. Just as the three golden races, the Zora, the Gorons and the Deku were created to balance nature. The choirs of the fairies have always been heavily connected with the major events of Hylian history. All the major cataclysms were averted in part thanks to the watchful eye of the fairies. But, usually they choose to remain invisible to mortals, only revealing themselves to special people, and under strange circumstances."

"Why did she _kiss _you?" said Zelda.

"Well, one thing seems clear to me," said Scarlett, "There's far more to our little green whelp here than we originally suspected. Clearly you're the only real threat to Nyarlath we have, boy, and we're going to use that to our advantage. We're going to drive you right into the heart of Nyarlath's men like a spike, and they won't know what hit them."

"What do you have in mind, Captain?" said Gwen.

"Well," said Scarlett, "The boy here seems far more capable of defending himself in the world of dreams, by whatever means he has at his disposal there. The only problem thus far has been that when he goes there his little runty body stays here in the Waking World, vulnerable and sometimes altogether un-protected. Now that we know his little secret though, we can approach this thing from another angle. Once we're inside the temple, the boy goes to sleep. Then, Zig straps the kid to his back, and we keep him alive while he does whatever needs to be done inside. Working together like that, and already knowing what it is that we're dealing with, we should be able to stand up to whatever Nyarlath throws our way."

"Well, Link," said Zig, "What do you say? Does that plan sound good to you? It's your life at risk, so it's only right that you should have a say in what happens."

"I can handle it," said Link, enthusiastically.

"This could actually work," said Gwen.

"I still cannot believe it," said Zelda. She got up from her seat and left the room, leaving the rest of them in awkward silence. Gwen nudged Link's arm, gently.

"Go on, boy," said Gwen, "Don't just stand there looking stupid."

"What?" asked Link, his eyes flitting from the empty doorway Zelda had just left through back to Gwen. Slow understanding crept up on the boy, and he was on his feet. "Oh! Right."

He headed outside. The Princess was standing with her back to him, tapping her foot nervously, and crossing her arms in the manner of an angry, pouting teenage girl.

"What's the matter, Zelda?" said Link.

"What is the matter?" said Zelda, "What is the matter? I shall tell you what is the matter, Link: I have been stuck here with these bickering pirates for hours, crying my eyes out because I thought you were dead and I would never see you again, and come to find out that you've been off… off… making kissy faces at blue women in magic fountains!"

"Zelda, I don't understand," said Link, reaching out to touch the girl on the shoulder. She turned away from his hand, coldly.

"Of course you cannot understand," said Zelda, "You are too good, Link. You never think the worst of someone, no matter what they do. How can I expect any different from someone like you? You stay so strong through all of this, and I do not know how. The worst part of it is that I do not think that any one of us is strong enough to do this without you. I cannot allow myself to depend on anyone like that though. I have to be strong enough to handle things on my own."

"Zelda, what are you talking about?" said Link, "I'm gonna be right here. I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay with you Zelda."

"But what if in the end you cannot?" she said, turning to face him. Her blue eyes were welled up with tears once again, and as always it pained him to see the girl cry.

"You kids kiss and make up yet?" said Scarlett, emerging from the mineral spring chamber, "Best if you eat some rations and get your gear together. The little pebbles are going to show us where they think Nyarlath may have had the Gorons brought to."

Zelda walked away from Link wordlessly, disappearing back into the mineral spring chamber. Scarlett was chewing on a piece of Jerky, which she tore a bite away from before handing the rest over to Link.

"Don't sweat it, kid;" said Scarlett, "There are few things as fickle as the heart of a teenage girl. Take it from this old pirate, who used to be one herself, some considerable years ago. It isn't worth worrying over. She'll come back around as soon as she realizes that it isn't you that she's mad at."

Scarlett clapped Link on the shoulder a little too roughly, and then ruffled his hair a bit through his green sock cap. Scarlett made a less than convincing motherly figure, but Link was glad for the effort just the same. It was unnerving, seeing Zelda turn away from him like that. For weeks now he had grown to think of her as his only friend. Now she seemed to be uninterested in even talking to him, and he had no idea what it was he had done wrong.

He stared at the jerky for one hard moment until finally biting it and tearing a chunk away. He chewed the dry and salty piece of meat with an open mouth as he mulled over the complicated idiosyncrasies of teenage girls.

Within the hour they were descending the steppes of the Goron quarry one at a time, using their hookshots to cheat from one level to the next wherever a sturdy block of wood or piece of mining equipment provided a good surface for the little grapples to catch hold of. The two young Gorons made a game of it, simply balling up and rolling from one level to the next to keep up with their Hylian escorts.

"Dad never lets us roll down the quarry," said Toro, happily. Then he nervously added, "Please, don't tell him…"

Zelda had elected to stop talking to Link altogether it seemed. Several times he offered the princess his arm when traveling by hookshot, but time and again the girl elected Zig to carry her without so much as a reply to Link's enquiry.

"Where are we going, anyway?" said Zelda, eventually. They were nearly back to the bottom of the quarry, near the place where Link had come drifting from the sky mere hours ago. The sun was setting in the west over the mountains, and soon the already shadowy quarry would be dark as pitch and they would need to light lanterns in order to navigate its slopes. They had spent much time climbing back up to the horses, but the group had decided it would be unwise to leave such plain evidence of their presence in the mine, should any of Nyarlath's forces come snooping.

"Those Goron kids seem to think the temple is somewhere beneath the mines," said Zig, "The Captain has elected to investigate, since we have no other leads and no one else to ask for directions."

"What?" said Zelda, "Does Scarlett realize what she is doing? Those poor kids think that this is all some kind of fairy tale. They just think the Gorons got taken to some temple under the mountain because that is what happened in their father's bedtime story. There is probably a chapel or something down there and when we find it we probably will not find any Gorons or any sign of Nyarlath."

"Sure of that, are ye, Princess?" Zelda had been unaware of Scarlett behind her. She shivered as the pirate slipped past her, her shoulder brushing Zelda's with challenging intent. "I wouldn't be, if I were you. After all, the little speed bumps were right about your handsome young lad falling out of the sky like a great, glowing lump of idiot. There's an old Shiekah saying, Princess: There's always a bit of truth to every legend, no matter how absurd. It would do you some good to take that to heart."

Zelda looked over at Link. He was talking to Toro and Doro about rolling down the quarry.

"Wow, you guys are good at that!" said Link, "I wanna try."

"It's easy, you just roll when you hit the ground," said Toro. Then the little rock boy leapt over the edge and did a spectacular somersault, bouncing and skidding on the dirt like a rolled tire. He sprang to his feet just before the next ledge, turning and bowing with a flourish before giggling and throwing Link and thumbs up.

"Okay, I think I get it!" said Link. The boy leapt from the ledge. "Ita- ow! Ow! Ow!"

Zelda shook her head. Link was the bravest and most trusting person she had ever met, and he had saved them on numerous occasions from things she could hardly comprehend, but the idea that he was a Legendary Hero seemed impossible. He was just an innocent boy, and despite how much rested on his shoulders it was unfair of any of them to ask so much of him. Whatever her burdens were and whatever Scarlett's may be, it was Link who was being made to carry all of them. The promise she had asked of him had been silly, and she now burned with regret to make him take it back. She cursed herself for being so inconsistent, but as much as she had longed to see the boy again, now that he was back all she could think was that soon something would come along again and take him away from her once more, and then she would have to suffer all over again. She wondered if it wouldn't have been easier if none of them had ever made it out of Hyrule Castle in the first place.

At the bottom of the quarry, the two young Gorons led them along the stone walls towards the end which tunneled deepest into the heart of the mountain. They were forced to light the lanterns they'd brought with them, and they held the little flames close to them as they listened to the evil wind howling past the mouth of the enormous Goron mine. Up ahead, a stone archway big enough to fly the Stalfos through yawned around them. They passed under it in careful silence, their footfalls echoing off the curves of the distant, rocky walls.

The interior of the massive cavern was like a vibrant city. Suddenly, there were lights everywhere in the darkness, twinkling from the gloom, like stars in the midnight sky. As their eyes focused on the gloom, they could see that each of the hundred-thousand lanterns illuminated the mouth of another tunnel, making the walls of the huge, egg-shaped chamber into a honeycomb of crisscrossing caverns and causeways. Mine cart tracks were under their feet now, and it was apparent that they had left the rock quarry and ventured into the proper mining halls. Usually, this spot would be clamoring with the ring of Goron picks and hammers, wearing away the ancient rock in search of every kind of ore and gem that could be found. The pit of the mountain remained silent however, the oppressive emptiness consummate in the cosmic dark of the star-speckled cave.

They crept along the cold and stony floor of the cavern, a moving procession of slow-drifting comets in the spangled void of inner-space that was the mountain's heart. The young Gorons seemed to know exactly where they were headed, as they led the group suddenly to the side, and chose one of the countless caves to travel down. Now the ceiling curved lower over their head, a mere twelve feet up compared to the several hundred which the central cavern had boasted. Their lanterns were more effective here, and they relaxed a bit at their ability to watch all sides in the smaller and more manageable passageway.

"Excuse, me Toro," said Zelda, coming up alongside their stony little leader, "Where are you taking us exactly?"

"The Mural Hall," said the little Goron, "Gorbu says it's the most sacred place in the entire mine. Usually outsiders aren't allowed to go there, but since you guys have the Legendary Hero with you I'm sure it will be alright."

"Have you been there before?" asked Zelda.

"Oh sure, lots of times," said Toro.

"Yeah," agreed Doro, "That's where all the stories dad tells us are. They're painted on the walls. Gorbu says they've been there since long before this was a mine, back when Gorons still lived in Death Mountain."

"How has old Gorbu been, anyway?" said Zelda, "He and my father are close friends, but I haven't seen him in… well, it's been at least two years now."

"He's grumpy," said Doro.

"I'll say!" added Toro, "He's always stomping around with a big frown on his face. But dad says that's cause being Patriarch is really hard. He says that Gorbu is only mad cause he's worried about poly-ticks, but I don't get it. We're Gorons, ticks can't even bite us."

"No, Toro," said Doro, "Remember what dad said? Poly-ticks aren't bugs. It means when grown-ups argue about rupees."

"I don't see what the fuss is about rupees, either," said Toro, "They don't even taste good. Who needs rupees when you have fresh quarts and crunchy diamonds?"

"How much farther is this Mural Hall of yours?" said Scarlett.

"Oh, it isn't far," replied Toro, "It should be right here, just around the next corner."

They emerged into an ancient cavern of stunning height and enigmatic carving. The ceiling was a high and cragged blanket of hanging stalactites. In places the growing stalactites went all the way to meet their inverted counterparts in marvelous natural pillars, and among these were more gargantuan examples which had been carved into stunning shapes without ever being wholly removed from their natural locations. The walls were smoothed from the ground level up to about fifteen feet, and round and about the huge natural alcoves of the cave were painted colorful murals of geometric, tribal design. Torches burned with eternal flames from brackets on the wall, and though this place was doubtless miles into the core of the deep, dark mountain, it seemed that light had not left this place in years unfathomable.

"Wow!" said Link, his voice echoing off the walls.

"This is beautiful," said Zelda.

"No sign of any Gorons though," said Scarlett, sternly, "So, little twerps, tell us: where do you suppose they would be keeping your kin down here?"

"Well," said Toro, "Dad always said that there's a Goron temple under every mountain. Some of the other kids told us that Gorbu has a secret tunnel somewhere in the Mural Hall, but we don't know where."

"Well, Scarlett, there it is. Your wonderful lead, followed up on," said Zelda, "What do we do now?"

"You're right, Princess," said Scarlett, catching Zelda off guard. For a moment the princess thought that the pirate had actually seen the error of her thinking, following the two young Gorons into the mine based on a bedtime story.

"We had better get searching," said Scarlett, traipsing past Zelda on clicking boots. The Princess balled her fists in frustration, and crossed her arms. The stubbornness of the pirate was unbelievable. She calmed herself down. It was no matter. In moments Scarlett would see that there was nothing in the cave, and then perhaps they could come up with some way to find the Temple of the Heart without endangering the lives of two adolescent Gorons.

As they stepped further into the cavern, Link couldn't help but notice the intricate figures painted on the walls. They stared at him from the cold walls, watching him with eyes older than history.

"What do all these pictures mean?"

"These are all the important stories we Gorons have written down since the beginning of time," said Toro, "See, this one is about the Sacred Power."

The little Goron hobbled over to a picture of a bunch of different people with the heads of animals bowing to an altar of glittering gold. Atop the altar, a trio of golden triangles was floating in the air, one stacked on the tips of the other two to form a larger pyramid.

"The Sacred Power is where all the forces of nature come from. The triangle on the top is for power and strength. That one belongs to Din, the one who made Gorons and who made all the rocks and dirt that makes up the whole world! Dad always said that Din is the most important to the Gorons, but we shouldn't forget the other two goddesses either."

"Yeah," agreed Doro, "Dad always says, 'That's why Din's triangle sits atop the other two.' He says, 'Power is important, but it can't stand up without Wisdom and Courage beneath it.'"

"Your dad is a wise man," said Scarlett.

They went on to the next alcove, where three golden beings were depicted, shining a golden light onto the figure of a woman in white. The woman held a sword in one hand and a harp in the other, and her wild blond hair and pointed ears reminded Link of Zelda.

"That's Hylia," said Toro, "She's the child of the Golden Goddesses, and the spirit of the world. Dad said that a really long time ago, further back than anyone can count, that all the people and the goddesses and everyone lived happily together, and that Hylia was queen of the world! Then the dark times came, and the world changed, and now Hylia can't be with her people all the time. It makes her very sad, but she still finds a way to look after us."

"The Royal Family is said to be descended from Hylia," said Zig, "She would be your great, great, great, great grandmother, Zelda."

"I think you left out a few greats," said Scarlett, wryly.

"You hear that, Link?" said Gwen, "Our little Zelda is a goddess. But you already knew that, didn't you?"

Gwen glanced sidelong at the boy, expecting to get a rise out of him, but Link was not listening. The group turned to regard the boy, who had taken a few steps farther into the cave, and was staring up at another mural nearby, his little lantern held up over his head. He said nothing.

"Link?" said Zelda, "Link, what's wrong?"

She came to stand beside the boy, but what she saw made her gasp. They all gathered around. It was a marvel to behold.

There on the wall was painted another figure, triumphant and tall. In one hand it clutched the golden triangles, and in the other it held a shimmering sword aloft, its blade pointed into the sky. More remarkable than anything else about this figure though was the way it was dressed: forest green tunic and cap, brown boots and blue eyes, hair blond like windswept grain. It was the spitting image of Link, and no one could deny it.

"See?" said Toro, "We told you. He's the Legendary Hero alright. There's no mistaking that outfit."

Zelda looked from the mural to Link and back again. What could it possibly mean? There was no room for heroes in a world so bleak and imposing. Things were not as simple as that. Yet here was this boy standing before her, this boy who had time and again done impossible things and contested impossible powers which she could not have fathomed facing on her own. Now his picture was here, on this age old stone which had stood at the heart of the timeless mountain for eons before they had set foot inside it. Could it be coincidence? Certainly there were many green caps and tunics in the world. Yet somehow as she watched Link standing there in the flickering light of their lanterns she could not help but feel as though he had stepped right off that cave wall, a fairytale hero who shone like a beacon of purest light in the stifling darkness of the world around him.

"Come on," said Scarlett, turning away from the mural, "We don't need a cave painting to let us know that Golden Boy here is special. Let's get a move on."

Link and Zelda remained a moment longer, staring at the painting in silence.

"Link," said Zelda. The boy turned to look at her, his face an unreadable mask, and his blue eyes dark and serious.

"I'm sorry, Link," said Zelda before touching him softly on the shoulder and walking away.

The boy remained, his eyes locked on the doppelganger painted on the wall before him. It made him feel incredibly tiny and inadequate. He was no hero. He was only a child. He had risked a lot for Zelda's sake, and that had been fine… he had done things not because he was the best one suited to do them, but rather because he was the only one around to make the effort. Now there was this glaring expectation, and it felt as though a thousand generations of people he would never meet were depending on him. He couldn't even get through Kakariko village without screwing things up and nearly killing everyone! And what about the Zoras, how had he helped them? They certainly weren't saved, lying on the floor of Lake Terminia, dead and rotting. He was glad to have met Zelda and Zig and Kef and Gwen, but no one had ever asked him if he wanted to be a hero. It didn't seem fare. He didn't know if he could handle failing, and knowing that everything that Nyarlath did was all his fault.

"Link, help!"

He had been so lost in thought that he hadn't noticed the group leaving him behind. He whirled around, lantern in hand to peer farther into the open cave. Down the way, he could see figures struggling by the flickering light of the cavern torches, but he couldn't discern who was who. He went running towards the commotion, cursing the fact that he had no weapon.

Scarlett, Gwen and Zig were crossing swords with a group of Lizalfos which had struck suddenly from the shadows of the cave ceiling. Suddenly there were a dozen of the beasts, their jaws hissing and snapping viciously. They rushed them two at a time for each pirate, lashing out with lightning strikes from long, curved swords of angry black obsidian. The pirates were fighting valiantly, but they were outnumbered, and the open cavern allowed for the creatures to flank them. If the fight went on this way, they would never make it.

Link scrambled for a rock on the cave floor. He found one of decent size and chucked it into the tumult of lizard bodies. He struck one of the creatures, square in the jaw, and the thing rounded on him with a draconic shriek. Four of the attackers broke away from the crowd and came running at him.

Link turned tail and ran, leading the advancing Lizalfos in figure eights around the round columns and jagged stalactites. He wanted to turn and fight them, but it was impossible with no weapon, he'd be flayed alive. He rounded a corner and came face to face with one of the lizard-men. The monster swung his sword, but Link was quick and limber, and somersaulted under the blade, hitting his feet running on the other side. He made a mad dash back toward the group, where the pirates were still fighting the rest of the monsters, although they were steadily being backed into a corner.

They had made a wall of themselves between the advancing attackers and Zelda, but they could not hold the line forever. Link would have to think of something fast.

The Lizalfos which pursued him were gaining again, and Link found himself struggling for avenues of escape as the lizard-men began to grow wise to his trickery and fan themselves out amongst the stones rather than chasing him in a determined beeline. Link made for an alcove of statues which was set into the curve of a nearby wall, but he was dismayed to find himself trapped in a dead-end. Evil, frowning statues were crowded behind him, clutching pointed swords of stone. Before him, the Lizalfos were advancing, pressing his back to the cavern wall. In moments he would be skewered by their angry blades, and then the world would see what kind of hero Link really was.

"Legendary Hero, catch!" said a tiny voice from the shadows to his left. Toro was there, and in his hands he clutched a blade with amber handle and ruby set in its cross guard. He threw the little short sword to Link, and the boy caught it deftly in his left hand.

Link's eyes narrowed. He suddenly didn't feel like giving up so soon.

"Hyaaaaaat!"

The boy leapt forward and met the first attacker with a powerful stroke. Their blades crossed with flashing sparks in the dark cavern, the metal cling of steel and obsidian echoing through the hall. Link parried, hopped to the side and dove forward to thrust the blade into the lizard's gut. It squeaked pitifully.

Two more Lizalfos advanced on the boy, but he swung his sword with fury and precision. A cut and then a pommel strike to the lizard's nose, then a backflip and cross slash to cleave the beast across the chest. He was in a rhythm now, and all his frustration about the haunting murals was coming to a head and bursting to release with his deft swipes.

He cut down all four of them as if they had been paper dolls before charging to his friends with a ringing battle cry.

The Lizalfos which were bearing down upon Zelda and the others were surprised to be attacked suddenly from their flank. Link leapt forward, bringing his sword down in a hammer swing, and cleaving one of the reptile's tails clean off. The injured monster fell to the floor, squealing. Right away, the seven that remained turned to encircle him, but this gave the pirates leeway to rejoin the fight.

Gwen and Scarlett advanced with cutlasses flashing while Zig fell back to guard Zelda from the turmoil of battle. They pushed the lizards back, but there was nowhere for them to go but closer to Link.

The boy was flaying another beast with lightning quickness, dancing from foot to foot and twirling his blade like an expert swordsman. He didn't even think as he let the blade swing this way and that, allowing his fury and his passion to consume him. He didn't need to be a hero to save his friends! He would save them because it was the _right _thing to do!

Four of the remaining Lizalfos were closing in from all sides, and they moved to strike at once from every angle. Link swung his sword behind him, knocking away the nearest threatening blade, and then he felt an automatic sensation compelling him to bring it back around full circle. Winding up like the key on a clockwork toy, Link could feel all his energy channeling into the little sword, and he let himself explode like a spinning top. The boy whirled around on his heel, feeling the centrifugal force of all his weight go bursting from the tip of his sword like a volcanic eruption. Blinding blue flames came seething from the edges of his sword, and in one three-hundred-sixty degree spin he felled the lot of them like tufts of standing grass.

The pirates, who had already dispatched the remaining creatures, were staring at the boy in awe. He was catching his breath, holding the sword out to his side and regarding the blade in likewise wonder. Where had all that power come from? Toro and Doro came creeping from the shadows, smiles on their flat faces.

"See?" said Toro, "That sword once belonged to the Legendary Hero! It's a special sword, made by the forest spirits a long time ago."

"Yeah, and look at him holding it!" said Doro, "He looks just like him. You can't fool us anymore, Mr. Link. We know it's you. You've come to save the Gorons again, haven't you?"

Scarlett chuckled.

"Well, Princess, there you have it," said the pirate, taking a step forward and holding out her palm to serve Link up to the group of them on a silver platter, "There's your bedtime story, and it looks like we're the bit players. Do you still think it's time to turn around and go home?"

Zelda and Link were looking at each other. The boy was still panting from the effort of the fight, but to her he really did look different with that sword in his hands, and the fallen Lizalfos collapsed in a lifeless heap at his feet. She almost believed it, she almost really believed he was the Legendary Hero the Goron children said he was.

"No," said Zelda, and then she smiled at the boy, "No, I don't."

Link returned the smile, wiping sweat from his brow with the back of his right hand. He still didn't fancy himself a legendary anything, but it was good to see the princess smiling at him again. He gripped the sword tight in his left hand, and the extension it provided him felt natural and comforting. Little by little, the weight of the strange Goron paintings seemed to melt away from him, and he began to feel silly that had ever worried what a mural had to say about him in the first place.

Hero or child, by prophecy or random chance, he was by Zelda's side, and they both were better for it.


	17. The Temple of the Heart

Chapter 17

"It's like a Goddess-forsaken oubliette," said Scarlett, staring down the dark hole with her nose scrunched up at the rank smell that was coming from it.

Toro had found the opening while retrieving the sword he had given Link. The young Goron had been surprised to find the pedestal the weapon was kept on removed a whole ten feet from its usual location, revealing a sizeable hole in the cavern floor. The rotten-egg stink of sulfur rose in hot drafts from the depths of the pit, and the darkness below was so miserably absolute that peering into it too long made one feel dizzy. At the edges of the pit, the dirty stone of the cavern floor was scraped with the marks of Lizalfos claws, making it apparent that their attackers had emerged from somewhere in the stinking darkness below.

"There's no way for us to get down there safely," said Gwen, "and even if we did, who knows what might be at the bottom. Or if there even is a bottom."

"Those lizards didn't just pop out of thin air," said Scarlett, "There's something down there, and I'd wager my good eye on it being that temple."

"So Nyarlath took all the Gorons down that hole?" asked Link, "But I thought that there were thousands of them. How could thousands of Gorons have gone down such a little hole?"

"I don't think they did," said Scarlett, "If the Gorons have been taken anywhere, then it wasn't through here. No, I'm pretty sure this isn't the main entrance. This is a back door. That explains why it was guarded, and it explains why the guards were so few in number. They weren't expecting us to come this way; they didn't think we would know how."

"To be fair, they were right," said Gwen, "We don't know how to follow them. There's no way we can climb down a sheer surface like this."

"There might be something we _can _do though," said Scarlett, her one-eyed stare falling upon Link. The boy was still peering down at the nothingness below, sniffing the putrid air with morbid interest. He didn't notice the pirate looking at him.

"Boy!" said Scarlett, and Link perked up, "You seem to be capable of making trips in the Dreamworld that we cannot make here in the Waking. Why don't you pop off for a nap and see if you can figure out what's down there for us?"

"We cannot just send him down there!" said Zelda, "We do not know what he might find down there in either world. What if he does not come back safe? How will we know how long to wait for him? We will be sitting blind."

"It's okay Zelda," said Link, "I can do this. If I get into any trouble down there, all I have to do is use the Sleepstone and I can come right back here to you guys in a flash."

"And, in the meantime we shan't be sitting on our hands," said Scarlett, "Zig and Gwen, the two of you take the baby boulders back to the mine and have them show you where to find us some Goron tunics and some bomb bags. I suspect we might end up needing them."

"We can do that," said Toro.

"No problem!" said Doro.

"Alright," conceded Zelda, "But be careful, Link. You must not let anything happen to yourself down there."

"I'll be fine," said Link. He went to the nearest wall and propped himself up with his back against the stone. He pulled the Sleepstone out of his pocket, the sparks of lightning inside glowing blue in the dim light of the cavern torches. He smiled brightly at Zelda before gazing deeply into the stone and uttering the magic word, "Slumber."

He fell asleep immediately. His body went limp, and he collapsed all the way to the floor, snoring loudly. They watched him for a contemplative moment.

"Ms. Gwendolin, don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Aye, Captain," said Gwen, saluting to Scarlett. "Come on, little pebbles," added the pirate, as she and Zig walked away with Toro and Doro at their side.

Zelda went to Link, lifting his head off the cold stone, and sitting with the boy resting in her lap. She brushed the hair away from his face, and watched his eyes flitting fitfully under their lids.

* * *

In the Dreamworld, the cave looked completely different.

The walls of the cavern were glistening with vibrant veins of shining gold and electric, fluorescent minerals. The paintings on the wall moved with a life of their own, the different figures mingling in haphazard ways. A growling rumble was in his ears, and suddenly a jet of hot fire came bursting forth from the hole in the floor, lighting up the room with a blinding but momentary flash.

Link stood up. He glanced around and saw the blurry shades of Scarlett and Zelda, the princess holding his sleeping self in her lap like a sick child. Neither of them seemed to notice the fountain of fire which had erupted from the hole, and he guessed it must only exist in the Dreamworld. He went over to the opening, and peered down the blackened shaft of rock.

Somewhere deep inside the earth below him something was glowing white-hot like a roasting coal. He couldn't make out what it was, but so bright was the light of this subterranean fire that it lit up the black walls of the tube completely. He could see now that the hole was a roundish opening about twelve feet across which plummeted straight down at least a hundred yards before opening into some kind of fiery chamber below.

There was another rumbling, and Link had to throw himself backwards onto his butt to avoid the jet of fire which came bursting from the hole. He could feel its heat on his face, but it did not burn him. He wondered if heat would affect him the same way in the Dreamworld as it did in the Waking World. He decided he would rather not go out of his way to find out.

Once the fire subsided, he sat for a moment, counting the seconds. Once he got to fifteen the ground began to rumble again and another jet of raging fire came bursting from the hole. Fifteen seconds. He would never be able to climb down that quickly, even if he did have some kind of climbing equipment with which to negotiate the sheer drop. He put his hands on his hips, biting his tongue as he deliberated over the problem.

"Well," said Link, "Looks like I'm gonna have to grow some wings."

He raised his fingers to his lips and whistled sharply, "Here, Boy!"

There was the sound of heavy footsteps scrambling across the stone. The clockwork dragon came bounding into the cavern, sauntering like a happy dog as it answered its master's summons. It leapt the last couple of yards to meet him, sitting up on its hind legs and perking its shiny brass ears, alertly awaiting a command.

"Good boy," said Link, patting the thing on the nose, "Okay, boy, we've got work to do. You see that hole over there?"

The dragon approached the hole, craning its massive metal head over the side so it could peer down.

"Wait, no!" cried Link, but it was too late. The jet of fire came spewing forth from the hole with a seismic rumble. The dragon's head was entirely engulfed by the flame, not even the tips of its ears visible through the roaring inferno. Look watched it in horror.

When the flame subsided, the dragon's head remained on fire, but the creature didn't seem pained by this at all. It turned to Link with its mouth agape, and its head tilted dumbly as if still awaiting a new command, even as the leather straps and canvas sheets which comprised its face and jaw were curling away to ashes.

Yet the dragon was not dissipating. As canvas and wood burned away, and unhooked brass fell to the ground with a clatter, rock and fire were revealed beneath, like lava glowing under a mosaic bed of granite chips. It opened its mouth to yawn, and its tongue was a lick of fire, and its teeth were the jagged embers of long-burning charcoal. Its legs were heavy stone columns, chiseled with the shape of powerful muscle, and injected with primordial magma in place of blood. Its feet were like scale models of distant mountains, its claws razor-lined ice bergs of black obsidian. It spread its wings, and shook off the smoldering canvas. Its new wings were like a bat's, with bones of cobbled quarry granite, and webbing of ever burning sulfur. They were thin sheets of igniting fire, rippling and crackling like the heads of a million matches being struck at once. The horns were obsidian spikes, pointed forward like the fork of an angry bull. The goggle-like glass of its clockwork eyes popped and shattered and became the sulfurous pits of miniature volcanoes. The dragon roared proudly, and flames came licking out the sides of it mouth.

"Woah," said Link, in admiration.

He climbed atop the thing, the dragon stooping down helpfully to allow him to mount. Despite the way that fire seethed beneath the cracks of the creature's stone skin, Link found the beast cool to his touch. He straddled its back, gripping the shoulder blades for stability in his accustomed manner. He reached over his shoulder to check that the short sword Toro had given him was still there. His hand brushed the handle of the blade reassuringly, and he was pleased to see the weapon had made it into the Dreamworld with him.

"Okay," said Link, steering the dragon back to the edge of the fiery pit. "Wait for it this time. Right after the fire dies down, we drop, got it?"

The dragon growled in the affirmative. Link and his pet waited for a few silent seconds for the rumble of the next eruption. There was a roar, and bright whoosh of flames, and then the dragon rolled forward and let itself and Link go dropping down the fiery tube with its wings tucked into its sides.

It was a ways down. Link hugged the back of the dragon as closely as he could, wary of scraping his head on the passing tube of blackened stone. They had cleared almost three quarters of the tunnel's depth when the rumbling started up again.

"We're not gonna make it!" cried Link.

The dragon strained to tuck its wings even further, thrusting forward with its pointed nose like a falling spear. The eruption was seconds away. Ahead of them, Link could see something throbbing like a living ball of liquid magma, its center bubbling tremendously with the pressure of the coming blast. The end of the tube was in sight! The rumbling was coming to an apex, and in less than a second the flames would come flaring up at them, engulfing dragon and rider in a column of absolute immolation.

BOOM!

The jets of fire shot up just as they emerged from the other end of the blackened tube. The dragons wings unfurled and in one powerful beat the currents of superheated air carried them upwards so that they almost smashed into the ceiling. Link could feel the burn of the rising pillar of flame, only inches behind him. They had cleared the jet!

The room around them was mind-boggling.

It was an oblong dome of rock, so dark red and deeply tarnished as to appear maroon, but the surface was imperfect and cracked, and beneath it were glowing veins of molten rock which lit the room with a bright and even hue of angry red. In the center of the chamber, floating unsupported in the air, a liquid globule of glowing magma seethed with the throbbing movement of life. Its surface was a wrinkled plume of fire molded in the shape of something like a big red crown of cauliflower.

"What the heck is that thing?" said Link. The dragon snorted at him, circling the fiery surface patiently. The globule of magma did not touch the sides of the chamber, and Link could not understand what held it up. Flying along the wall, he looked below and saw that there were many other chambers which opened up beneath, but no apparent floor for the suspended ball of fire to be resting on. He clicked his heels on the dragon's side, and it dove down between the magma and the wall to get a better look at what awaited them below.

On the underside of the magma blob, things began to take a morbid shape. Link saw now what it was that supported the impossible platform of writhing lava lumps. At the base of the oblong mass, a kind of tower made of stacked tubes of bone-colored rock was supporting it all the way down to the distant chambers below. In the hollows of these tubes, which were visible through the cracks between them, cords of liquid magma were flowing like little rivers upwards to the globule at the top. He could actually see where they connected at the base, like a twisted rope of burning fibers feeding directly into the stem of the massive object.

Link was not a doctor, and hadn't been subject to anything like an anatomy course in his life, but if he had been he might have noted that the structure, as impossible as it seemed, bore an eerie resemblance to a brain with attached spinal cord.

The flow of the magma seemed to throb to some unheard rhythm, pumping more into the globule with each beat. Every fifteen seconds, that pressure would peak and the mass of magma would send a jet of fire shooting from its top to relieve itself.

"Well, looks like there's nowhere to go but down," said Link. The dragon dove, following the magma filled spine of the structure down to a place where it disappeared into a solid rock floor. Here the chamber was wider, and Link could hear the dull throb of the pumping lava reverberating off the glowing stones. The floor here contained rows of columns and statues, all of apparently Goron design, somewhat resembling an actual temple. Everything was situated in a pattern with the huge stone spine at its center. Beside the point where the spine met the floor, another hollow stone tube led further down into the structure, and beside it a cave mouth gaped out to depths darker, but more horizontal.

Link brought the dragon in for a landing, but he did not dismount. He sat on the creature's back, trying to decide which way to go. Suddenly, the shades of a group of waking Lizalfos came creeping up from the tube in the floor, skittering off into the nearby cave with impressive speed. The shadowy creatures passed right through the dragon as if it weren't even there.

"Where are they going?"

Link willed the dragon to turn around and follow the shades, and it obeyed. The shadows of the Lizalfos had crept into the cavern mouth which gaped at them from the stony wall of the domed chamber. The light which permeated the other walls in the place did not extend into this cavernous opening, and Link squinted to see in the darkness, but nothing was visible.

As if responding to his thought, the dragon's eyes flared with a brighter fire, and their light shone like bright sun lamps into the gloom ahead. The cave lit up. It was less like the foyer of a great temple, and more like the inside of a smiling mouth. The floor was one smooth stone, polished to a near liquid sheen, and dipped down in the center in a shallow valley. It touched the edges of conical blocks of obsidian, which had been carved into the jagged shape of evil-looking teeth. The corners both floor and ceiling were dominated by giant black fangs. The ceiling overhead was arched and ribbed, a stone uvula dangling like the pendulum of a grandfather clock just above where Link stood. Beyond the walls, which Link couldn't help but think had the shape of curled lips held slightly ajar, was a natural cavern of rough stone, rife with the same glowing veins of luminescent minerals as he had seen in the mural cave. It was as though Link were staring out of the throat of an ancient stone giant.

"Let's turn back," said Link, trying to shake off the ominous feeling the carved black teeth had given him, "This looks like it leads outside. No sense in leaving just yet."

The dragon turned around and brought them back into the room where the massive spinal cord suspended the magma brain impossibly overhead. No path was left to try aside from the hole in floor ahead of them, which link had trouble not associating with an open windpipe now that he had seen the undeniable mouth.

"Alright, boy," said Link, "No turning back now. Down we go."

The dragon slid off the edge, its wings tucked once again, and the pair of them fell silently into the unknown depths. The air only grew hotter and more stifling as they descended. From the chamber they were to emerge in, the slow and steady beat of the pumping magma rang louder in Link's ears, and he guessed that ahead they would find its source. After a plummeting descent, the dragon beat its wings once more, and now they were in a cavern even larger than those which had come before.

This chamber was large and open, like the Goron Mining hall, but slightly smaller. There was a heavy, stifling quality in the air, and bright fires glowed and seethed all around. From the ceiling of this room, the massive stone spine continued its descent, but here there were bony, horizontal arches, like humongous ribs which ran the circumference of the room, giving stability to the walls, but never quite touching each other in the center. Their only real support was the bony spine which they protruded from. The most fantastic and dominating aspect of the room lay appropriately at its near exact center. The throbbing mass was suspended by cords of liquid magma from a spot on the mammoth spinal column. The grotesque organ of rock and molten fire throbbed with a visible pulsation to the tribal beat of a living drum. It pumped magma through tubes of glowing hot rock in an endless rhythm. The heart of the temple was an actual living, beating thing.

A platform of rock, like a stony diaphragm suspended between the jutting ribs, was below the beating organ. Upon this platform, Link saw what he at first mistook to be a moving field of black grass or a mess of wriggling black snakes, but as he looked closer he saw that it was in fact the jumbled mess of shades of more than a thousand Gorons. The lot of them was crowded into the space, struggling to keep from plummeting off the ledge into the temple below.

At the center of this platform, there was a dais which was raised up above the rest, and upon it stood two shades which looked like Lizalfos, but in between them was the vibrant shape of a figure Link had not expected to encounter. The wizard Nyarlath stood there, his robes glowing midnight purple, and his head the skull of the fiery bull Link had first seen in the Temple of Life.

The boy felt instinctual horror at the sight of the old wizard, but he realized quickly that Nyarlath didn't seem to be paying him any mind. Whatever the limits of the wizard's power were, he did not seem to be capable of sensing Link's presence in the room without hearing or seeing him directly. The boy decided to take advantage of this, willing the dragon to fly to the spinal cord and perch there with claws dug in so that Link could have a listen to what the wizard was saying.

"It's nearly working," said Nyarlath, "Quickly, fetch me another."

One of the shades descended from the raised platform, and went among the Goron shades. It returned a moment later, leading a Goron along by the arm. The rocky creature made no protest as the Lizalfos brought it up to stand in front of Nyarlath. The wizard towered over the Goron, nearly twice the height of the rocky beast, and much taller than the last time Link had seen him. He thought about the giant octopus at the Temple of the Mind, and wondered just how malleable Nyarlath's shape could be.

The Lizalfos held the Goron down to the ground. The rock-man did not struggle. Nyarlath raised his right arm, and in his hand Link spotted a shining object made of silvery metal. The wizard swung the thing down on the helpless Goron, and the Dreamworld shade exploded into a million shards of glowing light. Link was horror struck as he imagined what must have become of the poor Goron in the Waking World.

Nyarlath was unfazed by the murder. He kicked the rubble that had once been the Goron aside, sifting through for a singular, shining gem which sparkled at the center of the crumbled mass. He picked up the fist-sized stone and held it up over his head.

"A fine heart in this one," said the Wizard, "With more like this we shall be done here quickly. Bring me another."

Nyarlath crushed the shining stone in his fist, and let the dust fall through his fingers. It fluttered upward in a streaming cloud, as if carried on a breeze. The dust swirled into a little miniature tornado, its whirling essence floating upwards toward the beating magma heart. As the dust touched the surface of the heart, it shook and crackled like a fire that had been peppered with gunpowder. The brightness of the glowing magma within increased marginally, and the thunderous beat of the massive stone organ quickened ever so imperceptibly in its pace.

"He's harvesting the Gorons," said Link, "He's feeding them to that heart. But why?"

Link's dragon crept up the tall column of bones, the scraping of its gripping claws unheard over the booming of the massive stone heart. They came nearer to the thing, and Link could feel that the waves of heat coming off of it felt very real. What startled him more, however, were the intricate designs of carved runes which traced the edges of every corner and every gasket of the massive pump. They shone feebly in the light, and as Link looked upon them he could catch their meaning, although he could not read them.

"The shard," gasped Link, "Its in the heart!"

He saw what needed to be done, but could not grasp how to do it. There it was, inches from him, the container, which housed their goal, but there was no way to reach it safely with the waves of intense heat coming off its baking surface. Perhaps in the Waking World? But then how would he get by all the Lizalfos guarding the thing, or the watchful eye of Nyarlath? He would have to find another way. Right at that moment, he needed to return to his friends and tell them of the fate of the captured Gorons.

"Leaving so soon, Hero of Dreams?"

The wizard's voice gripped him like an icy wind. The dragon rounded from the wall reflexively, hovering in the open air. The wizard was facing them now, and Link knew when he met the evil man's eyes that he had known they were there the entire time.

"I wanted you to have a glimpse of it," said Nyarlath, floating up to meet the boy face to face, "I wanted you to see how powerless you are to accomplish the task set out for you. It is too late. The prophecy which guides you has been broken for a hundred years, did you know that? It has been over since the start. But _heroes _like you never bother to learn the story first, do they? They just pick it up as they go along. Like it wasn't even important."

Link said nothing to the wizard. His left hand went to his shoulder and he drew the little short sword. He swung it experimentally, feeling its weight in his grip. With his right hand he braced himself upon the dragon.

"Oh, you're going to fight me, are you?" said Nyarlath, "How pathetic. Don't think you've had the privilege to defeat me of your own volition, boy. If you've ever walked away from a fight with me alive its because I allowed it to be so. You're nothing but an ant, I can squash you any time I see fit."

Link gritted his teeth. He thought about charging the sorcerer, but he resisted the temptation. The old magician was crafty, and likely wouldn't succumb to a frontal assault. He maintained his hover, but said nothing, biding his time.

"Don't believe me? Well, that doesn't change things in the slightest. That's how insignificant you are. Why don't you just quit now? Just give up and submit to me and I will make sure you and your precious princess can live peaceful lives somewhere far away until I bring this miserable world of yours to an end."

Link thought about the Sleepstone in his pocket. One quick grab and he could be back with Zelda and Scarlett in the caves. He had to risk it. If he didn't warn the princess and the pirates about Nyarlath then it wouldn't matter what happened. There was no way he could defeat the wizard on his own.

"Thinking of running away?" said Nyarlath, smugly, "I don't blame you. You don't stand a chance. Go ahead. I won't try to stop you. Go run and tell your princess that the big scary wizard is coming to get her. All you're doing is prolonging your own suffering."

How had he known what Link had been thinking? The boy's blue eyes widened. He fumbled for the Sleepstone in his pocket, and brought it up to his face in a fevered panic. The evil sorcerer was smiling at him, smiling a devilish smile with the curled corners of his sickly mouth.

"Run, little hero."

"Awaken!"


	18. Din's Fire

Chapter 18

It had been a half hour since Link had used the Sleepstone to venture into the Dreamworld, and Scarlett was growing antsy. She peered down the dark tunnel into the ponderous abyss below and wondered. The Dreamworld was a legend among the Shiekah, a place where sages and demi-gods walked among the sleeping, delivering the portents of prophecy and the demands of the gods themselves. Dreams had always been important to the Shiekah. They were a source of guidance when no clear direction was known in the Waking World.

Usually it would take a powerful magician to accomplish what Link had managed with the Sleepstone. It was curious to say the least that a mere boy would be entrusted to such power. It hadn't made sense, until she had seen the mural on the wall of the Goron caves firsthand.

The Cycle of the Goddess was a legend as old as Hyrule itself. It spoke of a holy trinity of beings, imbued with the sacred power of the Golden Triforce, a relic of supreme authority in the world of Hylia. The concept was that once every cycle three beings of unmatched power would rise with the ability to wield the incredible strength of the Triforce. If what the Gorons supposed was actually true, that would make Link one of these three, and Zelda another… but what of the third?

Nyarlath's power had been something of an enigma in its own right, but now Scarlett thought she understood. If it was true, if Nyarlath did possess the Triforce of Power, then the situation was graver than the pirate had initially suspected. She couldn't allow that to change anything though. Scarlett didn't really care about the Triforce, or about Hyrule. She had her own reasons for seeking out the power of the ancient relics, and she wasn't going to let the legend of the Goddess Cycle dictate her actions. If Hyrule needed saving then someone else could do it. For her, all that mattered was finding a way to subvert Nyarlath's power before it took from her the things that _really _mattered.

Zelda was sitting nearby, gently stroking Link's hair as he slept fitfully in her lap. The Princess was different than Scarlett. She didn't just care about her own life and loss, she cared about everyone. The thought of it was exhausting to Scarlett. How could one expect anything other than disappointment when their expectations were so high? Scarlett knew the truth; you simply couldn't save everyone, no matter how hard you tried. She sympathized with the girl. It had been at least thirteen years since Scarlett had felt that kind of idealism. In another life, in another time, she and Zelda could have been friends, but it was too late for that. One day the princess would learn how cruel the world really was, but by that time she and Scarlett would be acquainted no more.

Footsteps echoed from the cavern entrance. Scarlett drew her cutlass and turned to face the intruder.

"Captain!" said Gwendolin, coming into the room with Zig and the baby Gorons at her heels. Zig was pushing a wheelbarrow, which was stacked with shining tunics of crimson and sacks of dark leather stuffed to the brim with round objects the size of bowling balls.

"Ms. Gwendolin, I see that you were successful in retrieving our supplies," said Scarlett.

"Oh, it was easy," said Toro, "There's a whole storeroom full of these! At first I was worried cause we didn't have the key, but Mr. Zig is really good at breaking locks!"

"Any word from the little bug?" said Gwen, glancing at Zelda and the sleeping Link.

"No," said Zelda, "I am starting to get worried. He has been down there for at least a half hour."

"Well, nothing we can do about that," said Scarlett, "He'll wake up when he wakes up. The little runt knows what he's doing. Goddess knows we've seen him get out of tighter spots than this."

There was a sudden, earthshaking rumble from somewhere deep below. The entire mountain seemed to shudder with the force of the quake. Dust and rocks came falling from the ceiling above, but the cavern held its integrity.

"What was that?" said Scarlett.

"It's the dragon!" cried Toro.

"Awaken!" shouted Link, suddenly sitting bolt upright.

"Link!" cried Zelda.

"We have to go, now!" said Link, standing, "Nyarlath! I saw him. He's down there, and he knows we're here. The heart… the temple… the shard is in the heart! We have to go now!"

"Woah, boy, slow down," said Scarlett, gripping Link's shoulder, "One thing at a time. You say you saw the Wizard?"

"Yes."

"And he knows we're here? You're certain?"

"Yes!"

"And what do you mean, 'the shard is in the heart'?"

"The temple," said Link, "It's like… I dunno how to describe it… like a big, living thing! It has a heart and a mouth and everything. A big heart, the size of a boulder, and it pumps lava like blood! I saw the runes on it, I think it's the container that the shard is in, but I couldn't get close to it. It was too hot!"

"I see," said Scarlett, her brow furrowed, "And what was Nyarlath doing? Why had he not taken the shard himself, if it was there?"

"I don't know," said Link, "He didn't seem interested in it. He had something, like a big silver hammer and he was…" the boy gave a worried glance to the baby Gorons. The truth seemed like a horrible burden to put on creatures so small and so young, but there was nothing for it. They had to know. "He was smashing Gorons with it, and feeding their hearts to the thing. It seemed like it was getting stronger from them."

"Oh no, Doro!" gasped Toro, "It's worse than we thought. It isn't the dragon…"

"No, Toro, it can't be! He's not real, Dad just made him up to scare us," said Doro, "There's nothing in the mural hall about him. He's just something they tell us kids to make us eat our sandstone and go to bed on time!"

"No, it's gotta be," said Toro, "Biggoron."

"What are you two prattling about?" said Scarlett.

"Biggoron," repeated Toro, "Dad tells us about him when we're bad. He was a Goron a long time ago, but he got too big! When Gorons eat certain kinds of rocks they get bigger and bigger. Some people say that a long time ago there were Gorons the size of mountains. But when Gorons get that big, they forget about being people, and they act more like mountains. They get wild, and they don't know how to talk anymore. But since they can't find the right rocks to eat they start to slow down until finally they stop moving and become real mountains! At least, that's what dad said."

"Yeah," agreed Doro, "But Biggoron is even worse than that. He didn't want to stop moving, so he started eating other Gorons. It took the power of the ancient sages to put him to sleep, and seal him under the Eastern Mountains where he couldn't hurt anyone. But dad says that when little Gorons are bad it wakes Biggoron up, and he comes to eat you!"

"So that's it then. Clever," said Scarlett, "Everyone knows about Goron hearts. They're the most precious gems in all of Hylia. Infused with the power of Din herself. However, since only a living Goron heart contains that power, one would have to murder a Goron to obtain it. Aside from the obvious difficulty of killing such a hearty creature as a Goron, harvesting Goron hearts has been illegal in Hyrule since the first age when the original King of Hyrule became sworn brothers with the Goron patriarch. Since then, harvesting Goron hearts has been unheard of."

"So that temple is the body of an ancient Goron?" said Link, "Then why is Nyarlath feeding it the Goron hearts?"

"Simple," said Scarlett, "He intends to bring the beast back to life."

"If that thing wakes up it will upheave the entire mountain!" exclaimed Zelda, "That would kill everyone in Kakariko village!"

"Not to mention ourselves and any Gorons that remain trapped," said Gwen, "What do we do, Captain?"

"The only thing we can do," said Scarlett, "We go inside, and we take that heart apart before Nyarlath can wake the beast up."

"You cannot be serious!" said Zelda, "It is far too dangerous to go down there. We will not survive."

"I don't see that we have a choice if we want that shard, princess," said Scarlett, "Zig, get up there and hail the Stalfos. I want all guns standing by and ready. If that thing does break through to the surface, I don't want it taking us any nearer to Hyrule Castle. Gwendolin, Zelda and Link, you're with me. We're going down there and putting a stop to this."

"Aye, Captain!" said Zig before disappearing down the cavern hall.

"What about the pebbles?" said Gwen, already slipping into a Goron tunic.

"You should have sent them with Zig!" said Zelda, "This is too dangerous. We cannot involve them too."

"Excuse me, Ms. Zelda," said Toro, pulling at the hem of Zelda's shirt, "Our dad is down there. We want to go too."

"Yeah," said Doro, "We can't just leave him."

"Toro, Doro…" said Zelda, pleadingly, "You must understand, it is very dangerous. What if something happened to you?"

"What if something happens to our dad?" said Toro, "Dad always says that family is the most important thing. All Gorons are brothers, we're all family. If we refused to save our family just because it's dangerous, then what kind of Gorons would we be?"

"But you do not understand…"

"They're coming with us," said Scarlett, sternly, "They have every right."

Zelda caught the look in Scarlett's eye, and something about the fire that burned there told her that she should not try and argue this point. Scarlett went passed the Princess and approached the edge of the pit.

"There's a platform down there?" said Scarlett.

"Uh, yeah," said Link, "It was on fire in the Dreamworld, but I don't think it is in the Waking World yet. I think it might start up once Nyarlath has fed that heart enough though. It seems like the Dreamworld makes things look the way they _can _be in the real world. It shows you dead things the way they used to be when they were alive."

"Good enough," said Scarlett. She unhitched the hookshot from her belt and pointed it to the ceiling. The little hook discharged with a 'kachink' and found a place to grip the stone. "Come on, baby boulders, grab a leg. We're going down. Ms. Gwendolin, I trust you and Mr. Hero know what to do?"

Toro and Doro hugged Scarlett's legs, and the pirate stepped off the ledge, dangling by one arm from the hookshot's hold on the ceiling. She clicked the release button on the handle, and slowly the chain began to extend, lowering them down the dark tube of stone.

Gwen used some clips on her belt to latch some of the bomb bags onto her before following suit. Link and Zelda were the last ones left. The boy drew his own hookshot and fired it into the ceiling beside the other two.

"You ready Zelda?" the boy offered the princess his arm.

"Link," said Zelda, "I do not like this. I do not want the lives of all of those Gorons on my hands, the same as all of the Zora. If things go on like this, what will be left of Hyrule to save?"

"Zelda, you can't blame yourself for what bad people do," said Link, "Nyarlath would be hurting Gorons and Zoras and all kinds of people whether you tried to stop him or not. Now if we want to save anybody we have to work together. I promise I won't let anything bad happen if I can help it. You can count on me. Now can I count on you too?"

"Link," said Zelda, staring into the boy's blue eyes. She took a step forward and hugged him to support herself on the descent, "Never change."

A moment later they were zooming through the darkness, the only sound the echoing click of the unfurling chain of Link's hookshot. The air as they went deeper became thick and full of the stink of sulfur. They could feel the heat radiating around them, and Link suspected that they would be unable to survive it if it weren't for the protection of the Goron tunics they had both slipped on.

At the bottom of the pit, the platform that had been the writhing magma brain in the Dreamworld was now a steaming mass of volcanic rock, which baked with some internal fire. From vents on the top of the thing, thick jets of sulfuric gas were spouting. The walls were still aglow with volcanic veins, but the light was much dimmer, and the throbbing beat of the distant heart below was nowhere to be heard.

Gwen and Scarlett were already distributing the bombs between them. Toro and Doro were peering over the side of the smoldering platform, into the dimly lit dungeon below.

"Okay, runt," said Scarlett, "Which way now?"

"We have to keep going down," said Link, "Below this platform is the mouth, and down below that is the heart chamber. That's where Nyarlath and the Gorons are."

"Okay, lead the way," said Scarlett.

* * *

Zig was climbing the steppes of the Goron quarry by the light of a blood-red moon. An angry haze of crimson clouds had gathered ominously above the mountaintop, and the sky shone with eldritch stars from the void of the universe. He hoped the Stalfos was in range as he flipped open the panel on his clockwork arm which contained Zelda's communication spell.

"Ziggardun to Crimson Stalfos, come in Crimson Stalfos!"

"Zig," came the crackling response. The little gemstone flickered brighter as Kef spoke, "What's up buddy? You guys ready for an extract?"

"Negative," replied Zig, "There's a big problem. Nyarlath's got some kind of giant Goron monster inside that mountain. It could be coming up any moment now, and the whole mountain will go with it. We need the Stalfos standing by to hold it off. Scarlett and the others are inside, and we can't let that thing take them to Hyrule Castle."

"A giant Goron?" said Kef, "You've gotta be kidding me."

"I wish I were," replied Zig.

Suddenly, another mighty tremor shook the mountain, causing the pirate to nearly lose his footing. He looked back to the mouth of the mining cavern down at the end of the quarry. He gave a prayer to the Goddess under his breath, hoping against hope that they were not too late.

* * *

Inside the temple Scarlett and the others were descending from the extinguished brain. The pillars and statues of the entry hall stood silently at them as they landed on the floor. Nearby was the tube of the throat which Link had traveled to reach the heart chamber in the Dreamworld.

"It's down this way," said Link, pointing to the tunnel, "Just down there, that's where the heart and all the Gorons are."

There was a sudden tremor, causing them all to stagger to keep their feet. As if the lights in a giant warehouse had suddenly been switched in, the spine of the massive creature sprang to life with the fire of a thousand suns. The tubes of magma began to sear with burning fire, and the veins of magma in the walls began to glow bright and vibrant. Link watched in horror as the temple around them began to come alive, changing into something closer to what he had seen in the Dreamworld.

"It's waking up!" shouted Link, "We're too late!"

"Astute observation, boy."

The voice was Nyarlath's. They all turned in unison to see the old wizard. He was perched atop the entrance to the mouth-like cave Link had seen before, waiting like a watching gargoyle. Link, Gwen and Scarlett drew their swords automatically.

"It is far too late," said the wizard, "And once again you have walked right into my trap. The lot of you really are too predictable. This game we've been playing is growing dull. Allow me to put a stop to it. I will end your miserable quest here, and I will take Zelda and reclaim the rest of the treasure without your meddling."

"You talk big, Wizard," said Scarlett, "But I see right through yer black words. We've got ya scared, and we know it. You know what the boy is and what he can do, and it has you worried."

"Is that what you think?" the wizard chuckled evilly, "The delusions which hope can feed in the minds of the weak never fail to astound me. Very well, if that is what you must believe in order to face your grave with your head held high then so be it. I will take my leave of you. You're as good as dead in here anyway. I have others to punish. Like your insipid crew of Shiekah miscreants, for example. Enjoy your last moments alive, for they will be brief."

The wizard jumped down from his perch and flew like a demon from hell towards the mouth of the temple and out into the caverns beyond, his evil laugh echoing menacingly off the stone walls as he went.

"Captain," said Gwen, urgently, "The Stalfos will be vulnerable! There's no way they can stand up to Nyarlath alone!"

"I can!" said Link, "But I have to go into the Dreamworld to do it. I don't know if I can beat him, but I can at least give you guys more time to save the Gorons. You have to keep going, get down to the heart and find a way to destroy the thing from the inside."

"We have enough bombs here to level a mountain," said Gwen, "If Zelda can protect us from the blast, we should be able to detonate them inside the beast's chest and that might make us a way out. As for damaging that heart, I'm not so sure, but at least it would give us an easier route."

"That's the best we can do for now," said Scarlett, "Okay, kid, we'll give it a shot. If we have to do all this and lug you around while you nap though, you best not let any harm come to my ship!"

"I'll do my best," said Link.

"Okay then, off with ya," said Scarlett.

Link took up the Sleepstone and prepared to return to the Dreamworld. Zelda took his hand.

"Be careful," she said, "And remember what you promised me."

"Don't worry, Zelda," said Link, "I won't forget. Slumber!"

The sickening kaleidoscope had him again, and he felt the momentary sensation of falling as he slipped into the Dreamworld. There was no need to react, the dragon knew his purpose and was with him at once. He leapt astride the thing, only glancing momentarily back at Zelda and the others before flying out of the tunnel at top speed. They cleared the jagged teeth of the mouth-shaped cave and sped forth into the darkness of the caverns beyond.

As they careened through the caverns, Link's mind was full of nothing but the desire to stop Nyarlath. The dragon seemed urged by this, taking corners and forks in the tunnel as if it knew precisely where to go. Link didn't need to question it; he knew he could trust the beast to carry him to the wizard. This was their purpose. He and the dragon existed to stop Nyarlath, and stop him they _would_.

They passed through a wide cavern, and Link became aware of a pair of dark shapes which dropped into the air behind them and gave chase. The shadowy figures pursued on wings of midnight blue. One of them suddenly lit up like a candle, and its horrible bird-like face became illuminated momentarily as the blast of eldritch magic shot forth from its gaping beak.

The dragon rolled. The wall of the cavern exploded into debris as the projectile missed them.

"It'll take more than that to stop us, right boy?"

The dragon dipped low, decreased its speed, and came up right on the tail of one of the attackers. The dragon opened its stony jaws and spewed a jet of magma on the monster with all the pressure of a spouting geyser. The unfortunate attacker was singed away to nothing in an instant.

The other monster was on their flank now, and Link ducked low to avoid it as it blasted glowing energy at them. Up close, he could see the monster more clearly. It was like an evil raven had fused with the cloak of some ancient, eldritch necromancer, creating a horrible harpy of magic and midnight feathers. The wizrobe squawked menacingly at him, firing another volley of magical energy.

Link drew his sword and swung it in one quick motion. The blade sliced through the ball of energy, reflecting it back towards the creature. It struck the thing full in the face, dazing it and singing its terrible beak. Link leaned toward it, causing the dragon to pull that direction, and when he was close enough he swung the sword with a triumphant battle cry. The little blade cleaved a swath across the thing's belly, and the monster tumbled lifeless to the cavern below.

"Okay, let's catch up to that wizard!"

* * *

"Look at them all!" said Gwendolin, her eyes wide with amazement at the sea of motionless Gorons which crowded the platform below. They were descending on their Hookshots from the floor above, Gwen carrying Zelda and the Sleeping Link strapped to her back. Not far overhead, Scarlett was carrying the bombs and the baby Gorons, and the combined weight was causing her face to turn red from the strain.

"What are they doing?" said Scarlett, observing the Gorons.

The whole group of them was standing like zombies, their beady black eyes glazed over and their cavernous mouths agape. If she hadn't known better, Scarlett would have supposed them statues.

"Dad!" cried Toro, "Doro, I see dad! Let's go!"

The two baby Gorons let go of Scarlett's legs, plummeting like dropped stones to the ground below.

"Hey, wait!" cried the pirate, but the two little rock-men paid no mind. They hit the ground with a thud, but it was barely audible over the pounding beat of the giant, magma pumping heart.

"Dad," said Toro, running up to one of the Goron's in the crowd. Boro said nothing, his eyes staring lifelessly at the throbbing magma heart above. Doro ran up to join his brother, and the two of them began pulling at their father's arms desperately.

"Dad! Wake up!"

"It's like they're in some sort of trance," said Scarlett, coming to rest on the raised dais at the center of the platform. No Goron's were on the dais, although an ominous pile of dusty rubble was resting at its center. Gwen had set Zelda down, and immediately the two pirates began to unload the bombs from the bags.

"Toro, Doro!" called Zelda, "Get away from there!"

"Why won't he wake up?" cried Toro, desperately.

"Come on, Dad!" shouted Doro.

"It's no use, princess," said Scarlett, "They're completely catatonic. Our only chance is to blow this place and get outside. We need you focused so that we don't get crushed when this place come down. Gorons are tougher than rock and fire; they should do fine even if we set the bombs off."

"Okay," said Zelda, trying to remember what Link had said about counting on her, "Okay, fine. I am ready."

Suddenly the entire room shifted violently, sending many Gorons off the edge of the platform and into the unknown depths below. Toro and Doro screamed, clinging to their father desperately. Luckily, Boro was near the center of the group of Gorons, and they were able to stay on the tilting platform.

Gwen grasped desperately at the bombs, but many rolled away from the Dais and into the crowd of Gorons.

"Dammit!" shouted the pirate, "There goes half our payload. What now?"

"We have worse problems than that, Ms. Gwendolin," said Scarlett, grimly, "This temple is on the move."

* * *

Link could hear the tunnels behind him caving in, and it was like a horrible wave of thunder following him through the echoing caverns. Suddenly, he could see the blood-red moon glaring at him from an opening ahead, and he willed the dragon to push on with all its strength. They came rocketing into the nighttime sky just as the cave behind them crumbled away. Now they were out in the open air, soaring high above the Goron quarry. In the Dreamworld, the mountain was like an island in a sea of clouds, and down below the sparkling mosaic of Kakariko shimmered like a phantom drifting on the ocean of rolling mist.

Link scanned the skies for Nyarlath, or any sign of the Crimson Stalfos.

The pirate ship was there, barreling through the cloudy veil, its shadowy silhouette dark and undefined like all the shadows cast by waking things in the world of dreams. He piloted the dragon nearer to the ship, scanning the deck to see that all was well. The vessel appeared unharmed.

Suddenly the mountain shook and trembled as if gripped by a massive quake. Hills of tumbling rock slid down the sides of the thing, engulfing the valleys below in thick clouds of blooming debris. The open cavern of the Goron mine began to shift and crack and the floor stirred with the dust of crumbling caves and tunnels. From the tumult of falling rocks and sediment, a massive hand the size of a building came bursting forth. It reached up to grip the cliffs above the quarry, pulling itself free from its subterranean prison.

"Oh no," said Link, "It's coming!"

"And you won't stop it," said a voice behind him.

The dragon wheeled around with a snarl, its glowing eyes locking on the wizard. Nyarlath hung in the air before them, his wicked-looking bull skull gazing deadly at Link.

"Now we end this, Hero of Dreams," said the Wizard, "You are foolish and weak. I will force your hand. You cannot save those pirates or the people of Kakariko if you turn away from me, and you cannot save your princess or the doomed Gorons if you stay. You are beaten, and I will bring the whole world down around you like a crumbling mountain."

"No," said the boy, "No! I will stop you!"

He drew his sword, narrowed his eyes, gripped the back of his dragon.

"Do you know what this is?" said Nyarlath, holding up the silvery object he had been using to crush the Gorons. By the blood-red light of the terrible moon Link could see the shining shape of a silver hammer.

"It's the Megaton Hammer," announced the wizard, "Forged in the fires of creation by the Goddess Din long ago, this hammer favors only strength, and can crush any kind of rock to dust in one fell blow. It is a mighty weapon, and proved a valuable asset in harvesting the hearts I needed to awaken my sleeping giant. But do you know what my favorite thing about this hammer is?"

Link readied himself to charge. He'd had about enough of the wizard's self-satisfying banter. It was now or never. If he died, at least he would die fighting.

"No idea?" said Nyarlath, delighted in his own wickedness, "It _kills dragons._"

* * *

In the belly of the massive Goron, Gwen was struggling to recover the lost bombs from the sea of catatonic Gorons. She ducked and dodged in between the rock-men, trying to avoid being smashed as the motion of the moving temple caused the things to knock together.

"Ms. Gwendolin!" cried Scarlett, "I have these charges nearly set, where are the rest of them?"

"I'm on it!" cried Gwen. She scrambled towards the nearest bomb, reaching to pluck it from between the legs of a nearby Goron, but the powerful creature suddenly reached down to block her. She glanced up in a panic, seeing anger seething in the creature's once dead eyes, and it swung at her with a powerful fist. She rolled to the side, feeling the impact tremor as the rock-man's mighty fist struck the floor of the platform with a heavy thud.

"The Gorons!" cried Gwen, "They're attacking!"

All around the rock creatures were suddenly stirring, but gone was the docile intelligence of the gentle miners Gorons were reputed to be. The rock-men began thrashing and flailing violently, slamming into one another, and all the while groping for Gwen. Some nearby the dais began to try and climb up to attack Scatlett and Zelda. The pirate captain ran to the nearest one and planted her boot in its face, sending it falling back into the crowd.

"What the blazing hell is wrong with them?"

"Dad, stop!" cried Toro, clutching Boro's arm as tight as he could. The bigger Goron ignored the little boulder entirely, trudging towards the dais with evil purpose in his beady eyes.

"Toro, what's happening!" shouted Doro, "What are they all doing? Brothers, you must wake up!"

Gwen had no choice; the rock-men were too powerful for her. She leaped and bounded through the group of them, narrowly dodging hammer swings as she made for the safety of the Dais. She and Scarlett and Zelda retreated to the center of the platform, back to back, watching in horror as the tide of angry Gorons rose around them. Their scramble to climb the dais sent the planted bombs falling onto the lower platform, out of reach for them to detonate.

Scarlett gritted her teeth.

"What do we do now, Captain?" yelled Gwen.

"I don't know," said Scarlett, "I don't know! We just have to hang on as long as we can."

* * *

The wizard swung the hammer wildly, like a man possessed. The dragon dipped and dodged each strike, firing plumes of magma into the air, but never striking the crafty sorcerer.

"Give it up, boy," said Nyarlath, "To struggle is only to suffer more. Can't you see? That's all there is to life, pain and suffering. Allow me to take it all away!"

The dragon twisted to dodge another attack, but Nyarlath caught the tip of its stony wing. The dragon screamed in pain, sparks went flying, and part of its rocky wing crumbled away at the hammer strike. For a moment they were falling, but the dragon regained itself, beating its wings painfully against the dire wound it had suffered. Link could feel it in his mind, the pain and fear of the beast soaking into him through his empathetic connection. He could not allow that hammer to strike true, not even once!

He willed the beast into a dive, striking low towards the crumbling mountain. As they dove, he caught his first clear glimpse of the horror rising from the depths of the Goron mine. It was like the twisted image of a Goron and a demon melded into one. Vile, mountainous shoulders of obsidian, and arms the size of stone towers rose up above the ruins of the Goron mine. The head of the thing was a monstrous range of tiny mountains, crowned by the crater of a miniature volcano. The creature screamed, and its voice was like thunder echoing off the distant mountains. From the crater on its head a jet of angry fire erupted to the nighttime sky. It swept its arm to the side, crumbling one of the massive ridges of the mountain. The resulting landslide went tumbling down towards poor Kakariko, the boulders and rubble landing haphazard all across the unsuspecting village below.

Link and the dragon dove towards the thing, the wizard hot on their tails as they dropped in towards the massive, rocky head.

"Let's see him hit us with his precious pet in the way!"

The dragon landed on the slopes of the giant's massive head. Nyarlath came after them like a speeding bullet. The dragon leapt aside at the last moment, and the wizard hit the mountainside like a cannonball. –BOOM! Chunks of rock went flying as the hammer swing gouged a massive crater in the giant's forehead. It screamed like a rumbling landslide.

"Clever boy," said Nyarlath, "But you won't trick me twice!"

The wizard lunged forward, swinging again. The dragon backpedaled, barely dodging the powerful swing. It opened its jaws and blasted lava at the wizard. He threw up his free hand, deflecting the attack with a shield of magical energy.

"We can't keep this up forever," said Link, "I hope that everyone else is doing okay…"

* * *

Aboard the Stalfos, Kef could barely believe his eyes as the giant Goron hefted itself out of the pit of the dark mountain.

"There it is!" screamed Kef, "All hands on deck, fire at will! We have to keep that thing from moving."

The Stalfos came in low, positioning itself for a broadside attack. The beast was in range. Boom! BaBoom! Boom! The guns sounded their fury to the night. Explosions peppered the arms and chest of the raging giant, and it threw its arms up to shield itself from the onslaught. The cannons barely seemed to scratch the thing! It wailed monstrously, lumbering through the ruined Goron quarry toward the airship, which seemed miniscule in the shadow of the hulking beast.

"Load up another volley!" cried Kef, "Keep firing!"

* * *

Link felt the tremors of the explosions as the Stalfos' guns unloaded on the beast. The rocky giant turned towards the airship, regarding it as a person might regard a bothersome mosquito. He hoped that Kef could keep clear of the monstrous arms.

Nyarlath flew up into the sky above, preparing to dive for another assault. The dragon braced itself, rearing up to blast magma into the air. The belch of fire met the wizard head on, but he plowed through it as if it had been no more than a gentle breeze. The hammer met the dragon's shoulder, rending one of the flaming wings clear off. Link listened in horror as his faithful guardian screamed in pain.

"You're done boy," said Nyarlath, "Your beast is wounded, your friends are lost, and here you die!"

The wizard raised himself back into the sky, readying to plummet down on them one final time. There was no way to avoid the attack; the dragon was too badly injured. Link stared up into the evil bull-skull that was the wizards dreaming face. This was it, his last stand. He buried the hopelessness he felt deep down inside and replaced it with rebellious rage.

"Don't give him an inch, boy," said Link to the injured dragon. He could feel the beast in his mind, its soul awash with pain and steadfast determination. It hefted itself up, vaulting into the air on powerful legs in one last-ditch effort to retaliate.

Link jumped up out of his saddle, running up the dragon's neck and vaulting off the top of its head in a mighty jump. The wizard threw the hammer like a javelin, the heavy weapon speeding like a falling meteor towards him. Link twisted in the air, feeling the powerful rush of the object flying past him. The hammer struck the dragon in the chest, crumbling the valiant guardian to scattered embers on the Giant's head. Link was in the air, only mere feet away from Nyarlath. The wizard came rushing at him like a greedy vulture. Link swung his sword.

Golden light erupted from the triangle on the back of the boy's hand! He felt the centrifuge of power flowing through him into his sword, just like when he'd fought the Lizalfos in the Mural Cave. His sword flashed with blue fire, his body spun like a hurricane.

The tip of the blade carved a thick gash in the Wizard's chest, and for an instant time itself seemed to freeze.

"It cannot be," said Nyarlath, his voice the only sound in the void of sudden silence all around them, "That power… there's no way a mere boy can wield it!"

Purple flames began to curl from under the wizards robes. The bull skull cracked in half, and the wicked man began to crumble into ashes before Link's eyes.

"I underestimated your strength yet again, but I will not make that mistake another time," said Nyarlath, "What you have defeated is but a mere shade of my true power. I am Nyarlath, the Undying Lord of Dreams, and I will see this world snuffed out. You… cannot… win…"

Then the wizard was gone in a puff of purple smoke, and suddenly the world was moving once again. Link was falling through the nighttime sky of the Dreamworld, the mountains below rushing up to meet him with deadly force. He struggled to reach his pocket, to draw the Sleepstone, to reawaken before he hit the ground. He grasped the stone in his hand and brought it out, gripping it white-knuckled against the rushing wind. He was nearly to the ground when he held the thing out in front of him and shouted, "AWAKEN!"

* * *

In the belly of the giant Goron, Zelda, Scarlett and Gwen were crowded back to back around the sleeping form of Link. The Gorons were closing in around them, and any moment now they would be overtaken entirely. The Pirates swords could scarcely impede the progress of the rock-men, and only their slow and zombie-like movement had let them live this long.

"If only we could ignite the bombs!" said Scarlett.

"Captain," said Gwen, "It can't end like this. There must be something we can do!"

"Take my hand!" cried Zelda.

"What?" said Scarlett.

"Trust me, just do it!" she grabbed the pirate's hand and gripped it tight, "Gwen, take Scarlett's other hand."

"You had better know what you are doing, princess!" said Gwen, letting her cutlass fall and taking Scarlett's other hand in hers.

Zelda reached down, grasping Link's hand in her own. The Princess closed her eyes, did her best to block out the horrible noises of the attacking Gorons, and whispered her prayer to the Goddesses above.

"Din, Goddess of Power, who cultivated the world from mere dust with the fire of her powerful arms, I beseech you, lend me your strength!"

The princess's eyes shot open, revealing blind orbs of fiery red. From the center of her chest, a wall of fire erupted in all directions, like a globe of pure immolation. The Gorons were thrown back. The fiery wave washed over the crowd, and the scattered bombs ignited one by one.

BOOM!


	19. Diamondhearth

Chapter 19

He awoke to the rumble of falling stones and the roar of raging fires. The light of a bright star shone in his eyes, and the whole world was a confused blur of pyrotechnic explosions. He thought he saw Zelda, for just a momentary flash, her brow furrowed in dire concentration. It felt hard to breathe, suffocating, like drowning in warm water. Then his ears were ringing, and everything was slowly slipping away to quiet darkness.

There were long spells of darkness, sprinkled with fevered dreams unlike in their immaculate vibrancy and devious horror to any he had ever experienced. Sometimes he was drifting through the sky while castles crumbled all around him, and the wind blew in sick gusts like the rot of a landfill, and death loomed like a setting moon on the silvery horizon. There were moments when he would hear Zelda, like the voice of a calling bird in the distance, beckoning him to fulfill his promise, beckoning him to return to her.

It could have been ages, millennia floating through the aether. What strange adventures lie in dreams? He had heard somewhere once that a boy had dreamed a whole world up while sleeping on a boat in a terrible storm. His dream had been so powerful, it had become real. If dreams could become real, could real life become a dream? Who could really be sure what was real anymore? It didn't seem to matter much.

When his eyes opened and he felt the soft down of warm bedding he couldn't bring himself to think of it as an awakening. There was warm, flickering torchlight, and the trickling sound of water pouring from a little fountain. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, skeptical at his own lucidity. The blankets he found himself swaddled in were woven out of the soft fur of some unknown, wooly animal, their surfaces dyed with colorful patterns of angular shape, and vibrant starbursts of kaleidoscopic, geometric pattern.

The room was stone, with a low ceiling, square in shape, and centered around a pillar which bore four faces, one on each side, perpetually spraying water from their mouths in gentle streams into a small basin. The walls were carved with intricate bas reliefs depicting Goron miners, snarling dodongos, and fairies bathing in subterranean fountains.

Link pushed the blankets aside, and found that he was clothed only in a loose fitting pair of shorts, which appeared to be made of the same sort of pelts as his bedding. His chest was wrapped in a layer of gauze, and when he gently pressed it with his fingers he could feel the tenderness of a healing bruise. Had he been injured somewhere? He could scarcely remember anything.

He shifted so his legs slid off the bed, and he felt the cool stone floor under his bare feet. He tried to stand, and found his legs wobbly and unsure of the burden. Trembling, he rose from the bed and felt the groggy, listing sensation of oversleep. Suddenly his eyes were burning; his mouth dry and full of cotton. Tense pain was twisting like a creeping vine from the back of his eyes, down his neck, and into his shoulders. He staggered to the water basin, practically falling into it as he put his palms out to brace himself on its rim. Link shoved his head into the stream of one fountain, letting the cool water revive him more completely. He let it run down his shoulders and back, soaking into his wrappings and soothing his wounds. Then he guzzled it greedily, allowing much of it to fall from his lips and back into the basin, rinsing the flavor of dusty cotton from his parched pallet.

"Mr. Link!" a small, stony voice caught Link's ears and he turned to see who had entered his chamber. Toro was standing near the arched entryway, his round face peering from a gap in a curtain of polished beads which hung in the doorway. The little Goron came trotting into the room, his brother on his tail. The two of them beamed happily at Link. Link looked into their smiling faces and suddenly memories came flooding back to him of the Temple of the Heart, of Nyarlath and his magic hammer, and the terrible screams of the monstrous Biggoron.

"Toro and Doro," said Link, "It's great to see you guys! What happened? Where are Zelda and Scarlett and the rest? Are they okay?"

"Zelda is fine," said Toro, "But she's been really worried about you. Gorbu and Dad said you might not wake up, but we knew better. It's harder than that to take down the Legendary Hero! That mean captain has been really mad about it though. She keeps talking about not wanting to waste any more time here."

"Yeah," said Doro, "Her and Gorbu were talking in secret, all serious like. We don't really know what's going on, but it sounds like everyone is worried about keeping you and Zelda here."

"Wasting time?" said Link, "How long have I been asleep?"

"Well," said Toro, "We've been underground since the mines collapsed. We traveled by tunnel a long ways from Kakariko. We haven't been up to the surface to see the sun, but Dad says it's been eight days since you and Zelda blew up Biggoron."

"Eight days!" exclaimed Link, "I've been asleep all this time?"

"Mmhmm," said Doro, nodding, "Me and Toro and Zelda have been taking care of you. All you've been eating is broth made from Deku roots. It smells awful, I'd rather eat the bowl, but Hylian food never looks good to a Goron."

"Where is Zelda?" said Link, "Can I see her?"

"She and that captain are meeting with Gorbu and Dad again right now," said Toro, "They just got back from the tunnels. I think they finally found the heart of Biggoron again."

"The heart?" said Link, "So they didn't get the shard?"

"They've been looking for it," said Toro, "When Biggoron blew up he fell into the mountain. We all went crashing down when the tunnels caved in, and all the Gorons who survived plus you and Zelda and your friends ended up in one of the deep mining caverns that had been closed off years ago, way below the mountain."

"No one knew where the heart had fallen," added Doro, "And all the Gorons have been busy trying to dig a route back to the tunnels, past the cave-in where everything is still the way it's always been. That captain fought with Gorbu for a long time, but in the end Dad was the only one willing to help find the heart."

"Yeah," said Toro, "And only because of Zelda. That captain doesn't get along with big brother so well. Or dad, for that matter."

"They've been looking for the heart every day since, but last night they finally thought they found it," said Doro, "They just got back, so hopefully everything went okay."

"Can you take me to them?"

"Of course," replied Toro, "Your tunic is in the chest over in the corner. Get dressed and meet us outside, and we'll take you to Gorbu's hall. That's where everyone is."

With that, Toro and Doro waddled out of the room, leaving Link alone to contemplate the curious happenings of his last eight days of unconsciousness. They had been among the Gorons all this time? It seemed odd to him. What of the Crimson Stalfos and the people of Kakariko village? Had anyone survived the onslaught of the mighty Biggoron? It felt to Link like these things had been happening all around him only moments ago, and now suddenly he was forced to accept them as week old events. What had changed in the world during his fitful slumber deep in the secret Goron tunnels?

Besides that, just where were they? Toro had said they had traveled for a 'long ways'. Didn't the Gorons have tunnels all over Hyrule, connected endlessly beneath every mountain and field like a massive, universal anthill? Where might the exodus of the ousted Gorons have brought them?

Link's head was bursting with questions, but devoid of answers as he opened the little wooden treasure chest at the foot of the furry bed and removed his green tunic. Below the garment, which someone had patched, folded, and washed, his sword and hookshot were wrapped up in a piece of white cloth. He slipped into the tunic, clipped the hookshot to his belt, and slipped the baldric over his back so that his sword could rest there. He found his boots by the doorway, and stepped into them on his way out through the beaded curtain.

He found himself in another world!

The place was like a hive, a great hexagonal city of graduated levels, each tier carved intricately from the natural stone of what had once been an open cavern. Now it was a glorious hall of cyclopean architecture, a sunless monument of myriad shining torches, twinkling from brackets clutched by godlike statues –fifteen foot Goron giants with smiling faces and sightless eyes. The ceiling overhead was made of crystal stalactites, reflecting the light of luminescent moss and refracting it into an explosive rainbow of otherworldly glitters and shines. Fountains ran with crystal water, fed from unseen geysers and rich with the smell of earthy minerals. In places the fountains fell from tier to tier, splashing musically into sparkling basins beset with priceless rubies, diamonds the size of men, and marble slabs carved so smoothly that one could not discern between wet and dry upon their glistening surfaces. Gold grouted the tiles and flecked the stone, a mere afterthought of aesthetic flair, dusted over the world like powdered sugar on a market pastry.

Amongst the tinkle of the fountains and crackle of the torches the air was humming with the voices of a thousand thousand Gorons, their footfalls lost in the tumult of laughter, shouting, and the pleasant exchanges of townsfolk in their comings and goings. Gorons were everywhere, rolling to and fro down the curved pathways, and catching grooves in the wall to travel from one level to the next. Somewhere the distant, xylophonic tapping of mining tools striking stone and dirt sounded its erratic tone to the echo of endless, empty caves deeper in the ancient earth.

"What is this place?" said Link, his eyes straining against the sparkling light to take in the majesty of the Goron city.

"Diamondhearth Keep," said Toro, "It's the secret city of the Gorons, down deep, close to the center of the whole world! Every Goron city in all of Hylia is connected to Diamondhearth by some tunnel or other."

"It's incredible!"

"That's what Zelda said, too," said Toro, "We've always heard stories about it, but we never saw it before a few days ago when we got here. I guess it's okay, but I don't understand why they put all this food everywhere if you can't eat it. When we got here, dad got mad at me cause I tried to bite a ruby off of one of the fountains, but why would anyone leave a perfectly tasty ruby just stuck to the side of a fountain anyway? Doesn't do anyone any good there, does it?"

"Everyone is down there in the palace," said Doro, pointing down to the lowest level of the city. Twenty levels or so below them, at the center of the massive, hexagonal city, a structure of tall columns and sparkling gemstones stood like a glowing monolith, the stamen of the city's stony flower. "All the big brothers from every tribe have a hall in the palace. That's where Gorons gather when something has to be decided that affects more than one tribe. It's a long walk without rolling, so we had better get going."

Link followed the two young Gorons on an odyssey through the strange city, each new sight of Goron life and culture catching Link with such wonderment that he scarcely felt the passage of time. Here was a rock-man smashing up geodes and serving them in slices like a carved up melon to passersby for two rupees a piece. The customers munched on the little slivers of sparkling gem happily, their stony teeth tinkling and crunching on the stones like a grindstone crushing shattered glass to glitter powder. Young Gorons cheered as they watched scampering rodents with bomb-shaped tails race along little carved tracks of stone, every so often one of them detonating from the excitement and showering the onlookers with loose rubble. In the window of one of the thousands of apartments which lined the stone walls, the carcasses of giant reptilian things were hanging. Fires smoldered from within bright furnaces inside, where curious artisans watched the scales of the beasts crackle and change from cool green to searing red. They passed some old Gorons, who sat up to their chests in baths of boiling mineral water, their metallic shoulders rusted and their mountainous foreheads capped with greying stone, looking like snowy peaks towering high above the smoky surface of the rolling water.

When they reached the palace, Link got a better look at its splendor. The entire structure seemed carved from a single giant crystal, its marble columns and granite archways added subsequently and serving no structural purpose. There were many people coming and going through the sparkling hallway the young Gorons led Link down. These Gorons were less mirthful and frivolous than the ones on the tiers of the city. They strode with purpose, and a look of solid determination in their beady eyes, and many of them wore bristling 'beards' of quartz or other gemstones. Their backs were more cragged and spiked than many of the other Gorons Link had seen, and they wore the hardened look of warriors upon the frowns of their flat faces.

"Death Mountain Hall is just ahead," said Toro, "It's called that because our tribe is the Death Mountain tribe, even though Death Mountain was mined away ages ago. Lots of the other big brothers were mad about our tribe mining Death Mountain to the ground, but Gorbu says that they were just jealous that the Death Mountain tribe had grown so rich. I guess we aren't anymore though, now that the mine is gone. We don't even have a home to go back to now."

They had passed through the sparkling hall of the palace and Toro led them into a side hall where the ceiling was a little lower, although still a good twelve feet over Link's head. Here another beaded curtain led to a double stairwell, each flight flanking a carved fountain of crystal water, beset with faces similar to the ones which had fed the basin in Link's sleeping chamber, although much larger. Toro went skipping up the stairs ahead of Link, unable to contain his excitement as he burst into the room. Link could not see who Toro was talking to at the top of the stairs when the little Goron said, "Dad! Everyone! You'll never guess who woke up!"

Link emerged on the top of the stairs looking into a room full of stone chairs situated around a giant diamond which was set into the floor like a table. Directly across the table from him was Scarlett, garbed in a Goron tunic and clutching a silver goblet in one hand. She was sitting next to a large Goron with a beard of white quartz. Her crimson eye went directly to Link, and she cracked a devilish smile as soon as she saw the boy.

"Well look at what the wolfos dragged in," said Scarlett.

Suddenly the nearest chair, which had its back to Link up until that point, spun around smoothly to reveal Zelda sitting there. She was garbed in a gown of startling white, a shirt of silver chainmail over it, and a circlet of fine gemstones on her brow. She screamed with girlish excitement as she saw the boy, launching herself from her seat and sprinting across the room to throw her arms around him. She began to kiss his cheeks and run her hands through his blond hair, touching him as if she had to make sure he was really there.

"Oh, Link!" said Zelda, "You are awake! I am so happy to see you!"

"Hi, Zelda," said Link, blushing brightly as the girl showered him with affection, "It's good to see you too. What's been going on? Has it really been eight days? Did you get the shard of the treasure?"

"Yes, Link, it has been eight days," said Zelda, "We were all injured by the fall when the Temple of the Heart fell apart. It was only because if my magic that we were able to survive at all. You were unconscious when the bombs went off so you got thrown around worse than the rest of us. We were afraid you would not wake up.

"We managed to locate the shard last night and recover it from the caves it fell into. The heart reacted to my blood just fine and we found the shard inside. We think that it must have solidified in the Waking World when Biggoron came back from the dead."

"That's great!" said Link, "So at least we were able to get it. What about the Stalfos? Is everyone okay?"

"We aren't sure," said Scarlett.

"The Hylian army showed up not long after that giant Goron fell into the mountain," the voice was Zig's. Link turned to see the pirate sitting in one of the stone chairs around the diamond table, "The Stalfos was forced to make a retreat. I watched the whole thing from the hills just clear of the mine. They appeared to have made it away, but I lost communications as soon as they got out of range. I had to hide in the foothills to avoid being caught by Hylian forces."

"Yes, luckily I was able to use magic to communicate with Zig via the same spell that lets him communicate with the Stalfos," said Zelda, "With the help of the Gorons we were able to guide him underground and meet up with him when we were out searching for the heart."

"Well, that's good news," said Link, "Sounds like the Stalfos got away without any trouble, and everyone is okay, right? Wait, where's Gwen…"

"Ms. Gwendolin is fine," said Scarlett, "She is acting as an emissary at the moment, in the meeting hall with Gorbu, the leader of these Gorons. They are pleading our case with the Goron Brotherhood."

"Our case?" asked Link.

"Well, it turns out the Death Mountain tribe are somewhat black sheep in the Goron family tree," said Zelda, a worried look crossing her soft features, "Many of the Gorons of Diamondhearth are upset about the sudden influx of refugees. They are saying that the collapse of the mines was inevitable, and that the Death Mountain Gorons should have known better than to mine so extensively."

"Aye," said Scarlett, "Gorbu has been fighting to get us some support from the Brotherhood, but as things stand now we're on the brink of being tossed out into the tunnels and left to fend for ourselves. What's more is that unless we find a way to the surface that's outside of the Hyrule border we run the risk of coming up right into Nyarlath's arms. There's no way we can hail the Stalfos under those circumstances either, since we would have to use more conventional means than magic. There's no way we can guarantee being within range to communicate. Besides that, we've already wasted too much time down here in these caves. We need a ride straight to the next temple if we're going to keep up this crusade of ours."

"So what do we do then?"

"We wait," said Scarlett, "There's nothing else we can do. The Goron tunnels out of Diamondhearth are a maze, completely unnavigable to any besides those who built them. It's up to the Gorons whether or not they will send us where we need to go."

"Well, if they want us gone anyway why don't they just help us out?" said Link, "Goron tunnels are supposed to go everywhere, right? So why don't they just point us in the right direction and get us out of their hair?"

"It is not that simple," said Zelda, "Some of the Goron patriarchs are calling for a war with Hyrule based on the attempted genocide at the Temple of the Heart. Even those who do not agree with the methods of the Death Mountain tribe will not forgive the harvesting of Goron hearts. Gorbu is trying to explain to the patriarchs that Hyrule is no longer being controlled by the royal family, but his pleas are falling on deaf ears. Most Gorons care not for the specifics of Hylian politics, and who sits on the throne of a Hylian kingdom is of little concern to them."

"It's of little concern to me either, so long as we are granted passage to the Temple of the Soul," said Scarlett, "Of course, as with all things concerning these tribal types, there's a big spool of red thread to cut through where that's concerned as well."

"As I've told you before, Captain," said the rough-looking Goron who was seated at the table, "You should be more respectful of Goron tradition. Outsiders have never ridden on the Gogoru Highway before."

The massive Goron rose from his chair, standing a full nine feet, and tromped around the table on boulder feet to greet link. The huge stone-man gave the boy a grin of shattered diamond, and offered one monolithic hand in friendly welcome.

"It's good to finally meet you, brother!" said Boro, "I can't thank you enough for looking after my little ones. Put 'er there!"

Link immediately regretted putting his hand in the rock-man's giant palm. His fingers were like abrasive, windswept desert stone, and they closed vicelike around his palm to shake him like a shifting fault line. He felt as though the whole world had vibrated with volcano force, and he had to rub the life back into his fingers when the huge Goron finally let him go.

"Oh, you're welcome," said Link, still rubbing his fingers, "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name?"

"I'm Boro, Toro and Doro's father, and former foreman of mine 42-C of the Death Mountain Gorons," said Boro, "But you can call me brother! We're sworn now, after all. The lot of you are honorary brothers of the Death Mountain tribe."

"Boro has been wonderful to us, Link," said Zelda, "He has housed us this whole time, and paid for our food, which is quite expensive down here in Diamondhearth. If it were not for him then Gorbu may not have even believed us when we told him that we were not working with Nyarlath. Of course Gorbu recognized me as my father's daughter once I sang the royal lullaby."

"Thank you, Mr. Boro," said Link, nodding at the Goron, "But what is the Gorgor… the Gorro.. the…"

"The Gorgoru Highway?" said Boro, "It's a secret transportation network that spans all of Hylia. Gorons have used it for millennia! It can take you clear from one ocean to the next in a matter of hours. Very efficient, but also very delicate. It can be… eh… _finicky _about who rides it. And where. And how."

"Finicky?" said Link, curiously, "That's strange you talk about it as if it were alive."

"Well, it is!" said Boro, as if it should have been obvious, "See, the Gorgoru Highway is…"

"I'll be eroded to a pebble!" shouted a voice somewhere down the stairs by which Link had entered, "Those rock-headed, gravel-eating, sedimentary silt lickers! Nothing but coal for brains, the lot of them. Why, if I were a hundred years younger I'd have a mind to pick out all their hearts myself and string 'em up for holiday lights!"

A Goron as big as Boro, with a crusted crown of jade protruding from the temples of its rocky head, came stomping up the stairs with its shoulders rolled forward in aggressive brooding. Behind the rock-man Link spotted the Lithe form of Gwen, her head held high and her pretty face unreadable as she listened intently to the angry rambling of her companion.

"I don't believe it! Ten thousand years of sensible business relations, and in one rocky slide it's all buried. Fools don't know what it is they're risking!"

"Big brother!" said Boro, stepping forward to clasp hands with the newcomer, "I judge by your demeanor that the Brotherhood was less than amenable?"

"I tell ya, brother," said the other Goron, clasping hands with Boro and bashing their forwards together with a crash that may have shattered the bones of a fleshier creature, "These Diamondhearth folk are hard-hearted. It's not looking good. If things go on like this, there will be a coalition forming to march on Hyrule in a matter of weeks. They want blood for the harvesting of our people's hearts. Word has been sent as far as the Gibdo Pyramids. Patriarchs are going to be coming in from all over the world to talk about what we do next.

"They just don't see it. If we go to war with Hyrule now it will be burning our bridge with Hylians all over the world. You think any kingdom is gonna wanna trade with a race who has a reputation for marching in and taking over? If only I could make them see, King Ambrose would never have done those things to the Gorons! He is my sworn brother. I knew right away that some other, more sinister force was responsible for attacking us. And here I have Ambrose's own daughter to testify to the fact, and what do I get? Deaf ears! Naysay!"

"They still mean to start a war?" said Zelda, "Gorbu, this cannot be allowed to happen. Hyrule has suffered too much already. Did you tell them of our quest to return my father to the throne? If we are successful, Hyrule will pose no further threat to the Gorons."

"I said all of that to them, dear Zelda," said Gorbu, glancing sorrowfully at the girl. For a moment, the brimstone of his demeanor softened, and his little black eyes looked sad as they beheld the princess, "Whether or not they heard me, I cannot say. They have suspended the motion to attack for now, that's the only silver lining. They await the other patriarchs. We won't convene again until every Big Brother in Hylia comes to Diamondhearth."

"For me, that carries all the weight of a pebble," said Scarlett, "Let the mountains and the castle crash into one another until both crumble to the sea, only give me a ride away from this lowest of pits. Ms. Gwendolin, do not neglect your captain. What news of our passage from this realm?"

"Captain!" said Gwendolin, saluting, "The Brothehood has agreed to grant us passage on the Gorgoru Highway. We are to leave Diamondhearth as soon as possible and not return. The Highway can carry us directly to the resting place of the Temple of the Soul."

"Aye, now there be some good news!" said Scarlett with a cheer, "Finally, out of these bat-infested caverns and back into the sun. We'll be ready to go within the hour."

"Just like that, huh?" said Zig, "They must really want us gone if they're willing to just grant our request, no questions asked."

"I'm afraid that's true," said Gorbu, "The Brotherhood is extremely disturbed by your presence in Diamondhearth. Some of the patriarchs even called for your arrest and execution, but I was able to remind them that that isn't how real Gorons do things. It took some arguing, but they're going to let you all go. The only condition is that you depart immediately."

"Then we do not have a choice," said Zelda solemnly, "If it is the wish of the masters of this stronghold that we must leave, then leave we must. It is with a heavy heart that I part from you though, Gorbu, not knowing if peace between our people remains secure."

"I know how you feel, dear Zelda," said Gorbu, "But fret not. There's still fire in this old heart. As long as Gorbu is Big Brother to the Death Mountain Gorons then there's hope for the future. I won't just let those rock heads make things worse."

"Alright!" said Scarlett, "Let's not waste another minute then. Ms. Gwendolin, accompany me to our chambers. We're gathering up nothing but the necessities. We travel light. You kids get whatever paltry things you can carry and we shall meet you at the entrance to Gorgoru within the hour."

Scarlett and Gwen left on clicking heels, fresh energy in the Captain's step. They all watched her go, and Gorbu waited until the sound of the pirate's footfalls were completely out of earshot before turning to Zelda with a grim look on his rocky face.

"Princess, it is well that you should leave this place before tensions from the other tribes escalate too far, but I beseech you to reconsider your route of travel," said the old Goron, "The place you seek to go is dark and perilous, not a place for the living to dwell. That ancient necropolis lies far from any kind of civilization or settlement, and if you were to go missing there no one would even know. The Gorgoru can take you nearly anywhere in the world. Why not travel somewhere safe and lie low while things blow over here? There is no need to deliver yourself from one danger to another."

"I appreciate your sentiment, my honored brother," said Zelda, bowing respectfully, "But I must continue on the path laid out for me. Just as your place is here by the side of your tribe, I am compelled to find a way to stand at my father's side again. May we meet again during happier times."

"I understand," said Gorbu, gently clasping the Princess' shoulder with one massive, stony mitt, "Be safe, and may you always stand on solid stone. Boro will take you to the Gorgoru. You must forgive me, but I have other matters to attend to. Housing my displaced brethren has presented challenges of its own, and I am needed to oversee the negotiation of building new living spaces in some of the outer tunnels."

"Goddess be with you, brother Gorbu," said Zelda, curtseying to the Goron.

"Goddess be with you, Zelda," he replied.

"Come on then," said Boro, moving to the stairwell with Toro and Doro on his shoulders, "I'll show ya how to get to the Gorgoru, and how to make it work. This will be a historical moment- the first time in known history that outsiders have ridden. I'm a little jealous that I won't get to go with you. I haven't ridden the highway in a hundred years!"

"Well, Link," said Zelda, turning to the boy, "I am sorry this is all happening without you having a chance to get your bearings, but it looks like we are off on another adventure already. Are you ready to go?"

He realized, looking into Zelda's eyes, that he hadn't really had the chance to be excited about anything since the morning they had ridden into Kakariko on horseback more than a week ago. Link saw that familiar sparkle in Zelda's blue orbs, and it made a thrill jump up his spine. Suddenly he was reminded that there was a future to look forward to, and the ache in his shoulders subsided as his weariness was replaced with the euphoric allure of undiscovered things waiting on the golden horizon.

"Alright!" said Link, pumping his fist enthusiastically, "You can count on me. Let's go!"

They were walking down the sparkling hallway which led out of the crystal palace, back into the busy urban life of Diamondhearth, when Link remembered he hadn't finished asking Boro about the Gorgoru highway.

"Mr. Boro," said Link, tapping the hulking Goron's stony elbow.

"You can call me brother, brother!" said Boro, merrily, "We're sworn now, remember?"

"Oh, yeah," said Link, "Brother Boro, I was wondering, what was it you were saying about teaching us to use the Gorgoru? Something about it being _finicky_?"

"Ah, yes, well you gotta get the hang of positioning the feeder," said Boro, conversationally, "Too far and it will lose its direction, too close and the lug just settles down and keeps on eating. You gotta get it at just the right spot to keep him running. Just about the same as the gap between each set of legs."

"Um," said Link, unsure of how to proceed, "_What _keeps on eating, exactly?"

"Oh, but of course, you wouldn't even know about them!" said Boro, with a hearty guffaw, "Well, perhaps it'd be easiest to just show you. You know what they say: 'a gossip stone is better seen than heard'."

So they followed the Goron and his young through the twinkling city, deep and secret by the heart of the world. As they went, Link's mind was all abuzz with wonder at what strange beasts might lurk in the depths of Gorgoru and how many sets of legs they might have.


	20. The Gorgoru Highway

Chapter 20

They had not returned to the little room Link woke up in. Instead, they took a mid-sized cavern of no peculiar design, which led off of one of the markets on the lower levels, passing some residences and rounding a corner to find themselves facing an unceremonious dead end. The passageway ended in an alcove of rounded stone, a statue of a Goron standing sentinel-like against the wall. Boro had approached this, gripped it by the arms, and shoved it aside as easily as if it had been made of feathers. Behind it, a single dark staircase descended into unknown blackness, its passage so narrow that Boro would likely have to go in sideways.

"There are a few secret entrances to Gorgoru throughout the city," said Boro, "There's a trick to each one, but most Gorons know them. I'd hardly even call it a safety measure. It's more like good fun."

"Looks dark," said Link.

"Oh yeah, most definitely. No point in keeping lights burning when hardly anyone goes down there," said Boro, "But don't worry, I can see just fine. Just keep close to me and take it slow, there'll be lanterns at the bottom. Zig, why don't you wait up here for the Captain and Ms. Gwendolin? I'll take these kids down to see the highway."

Zig nodded to the Goron, crossing his arms and taking up a post leaning against the statue.

Boro descended ahead of them, sidling along through the narrow stair, Toro and Doro creeping along at his heels. Link went ahead of Zelda, timidly testing each shallow step with the toe of his boot. The princess gripped his hand tightly as he led her, and he could hear her shaky breathing in the cool darkness.

"You okay, Zelda?"

"Yes, of course, I am fine. Why do you ask?" said the Princess, a little too quickly.

"Are you sure?" persisted Link, "You sound kind of weird."

"I have no idea what you are talking about. I certainly do not sound weird!" said Zelda, firmly, "I just am not fond of darkness. That is all."

"Oh, you're afraid of the dark!" said Link. Then he gave a little chuckle, "Don't worry, Zelda. I won't let anything happen to you."

"I am not afraid of anything!" huffed the Princess, withdrawing her hand from the boy. "It is merely inconvenient to be unable to see, I find it irksome, but I am not afraid!"

Somewhere up ahead, a terrible howl sounded in the dark, its fluted trumpeting suggestive of alien vocal cords. Zelda shrieked, suddenly throwing herself into Link, who tripped over his own feet from the unexpected impact. They tumbled in the darkness, hitting Boro's back, which stopped them like a wall of solid stone.

"Oof!" said Link, pushing himself off Boro. His back had impacted Boro directly, and Zelda had collapsed against his chest, hugging him as though her life depended upon it. "Not scared of anything, huh?"

"What was that?"

"Settle down now, brothers," said Boro, "There's nothing to worry about."

"Is that it dad?" said Toro, "Is that the Gorgoru?"

"Sounds like it," said Boro, "Now remember, kids, Gorgoru can be extremely dangerous. Stay close to me all the time, and don't try and touch its mandibles."

"_Mandibles?_" said Link.

"We're almost to the bottom. Three more steps if memory serves. Yes, here we are. Okay, brothers, you wait here. I'm gonna go turn the lights on!"

They listened with bated breath as Boro's footsteps disappeared into the abyss of pitch darkness up ahead of them. Zelda was still clinging to Link, his hand gripped tightly in hers. She seemed to have forgotten about being unafraid of the dark. Boro was gone for what seemed like a long time, and the pair of them began to grow restless with anticipation.

"Where has he gone?" hissed Zelda.

"I don't know," replied Link, "Turn the lights on he said."

"Should we call out for him?" whispered the Princess.

"And get whatever has mandibles all riled up?" said Link, "I don't think that's such a good idea. Toro and Doro wouldn't bring us here if it weren't safe, right? Let's just wait."

There was a pause before the Princess broke the silence once more.

"Link," said Zelda.

"Yeah?"

"I just wanted to tell you I am sorry," said the princess.

"What for?" said Link, "I just don't think we should shout in here, that's no reason to apologize."

"No, not that," said Zelda, "For before. At the Goron mine. For getting upset with you. I do not know why I even got upset. Things have just been so difficult since we left the castle…"

"Don't worry, Zelda," he squeezed her hand reassuringly, "It will be fine. We'll fix everything. We'll get the treasure, we'll stop Nyarlath, and you'll be with your father back at the castle again, just like before. You'll see."

"When you say that it almost sounds true," said the princess. She was smiling to herself in the dark, though Link could not see. Somehow just talking to the boy served to alleviate her worried mind. The past week had been difficult without Link. Gwen and Zig were pleasant enough to her, but Scarlett's influence always came first to the pirates, and Zelda felt powerless to contend with Scarlett without Link there. It wasn't that the princess was helpless, but Scarlett was a particularly exhausting person for her. Zelda was no stranger to worry. The question of her place among her people had weighed on her every moment since she had been labeled a traitor. Now the very people she most desired to protect saw her as nothing more than a villain. Trying to stay positive in the face of such stress and trying to deal with Scarlett's hard-hearted attitude was a nearly impossible juggling act for the lonely princess. Except when Link was there, that is.

The boy gave her strength. He did not simply refuse to focus on the negative, he was wholesale unaware of it. The thought that things might actually go bad for them hadn't even crossed Link's mind. Or at least that was the way he acted. Did the boy know how to anticipate the worst? Was he just that good at keeping his fears to himself? She hadn't really asked him. She didn't really know who Link was at his core, or what kind of emotions shaped him into that person, but she had decided she would very much like to know.

"Link, if we do get back from all of this- _When _we do get back from all of this, there was something I wanted to ask you," said Zelda, her voice nearly failing her. She could scarcely form the words she wanted. She couldn't believe she was actually doing what she knew she was doing.

"What is it?" said Link.

"Well, it is just that you said you have been living in the forest, yes?"

"Yeah," said Link, "For the last three years. It's not so bad."

"Well, when things are normal again, I was just thinking that maybe, if you wanted to…"

There was a small explosion in the darkness, and then the rumbling of a turning engine. Fires roared from the deep, and light assaulted them suddenly. The world came into view, and the room around them was a sight to behold!

The nearest thing Link could put it to was the Royal Train Station in Castle Town, where the freight trains from the mountains came to deliver ore and coal and pick up sundries from the factories. It was a long, stone platform, forty feet wide and more than three hundred feet long. Pillars held up the high ceiling of natural stone, and rocks with flat, polished surfaces sat like benches here and there. On the ceiling overhead a network of metal pipes fed into braziers hanging at regular intervals, feeding gas into them which was sparked into a brilliant flame to light the room. On either side of the platform, pits dropped off into sheer darkness some unknown distance below. A couple of feet from the platform on either side were cylinders of stone, running perpendicular to the platform and continuing past visual range in either direction. Clinging to one of these horizontal cylinders, gripping the surface of the stone with a million insect legs, a giant, hairy caterpillar, one hundred and fifty feet long, was munching something messily from a metal trough hung in front of it by a harness on its back. Its tufts of hairy bristles were black, banded with white rings at regular intervals to mark the segments of its massive body. It raised its head from its munching and turned to look at them. Three unlit oil lamps were strapped to its head with leather straps. Twelve beady eyes gleamed at them from atop a chomping maw of jagged edges. The little pink things it was eating writhed manically, squirming as if to escape their gruesome fate. It opened its jaws and squawked at them in a high pitched, trumpeting squeal.

"What the heck is that thing?" said Link.

"A giant bug, how hideous!" exclaimed Zelda.

"This," said Boro, coming up from a manhole in the stone floor, "Is a Gorgoru caterpillar, a species that lives underground for the first three-hundred years of its life cycle, only emerging to the surface for a week at the very end of its lifespan in order to mate. They eat cave moss and the larvae of smaller subterranean insects, but don't let their diet fool ya! Those mandibles are hard enough to clip an average sized Goron's arm right off."

"Wait a second," said Link, "You aren't telling us that _this _is the Gorgoru highway, are you? We have to ride on the back of this big bug?"

"'Fraid so!" said Boro, happily, "It's the only way to get to the Necropolis from here. Even faster than by airship, since the route is a bit more… eh… direct."

"What's the matter, boy?" the words were punctuated with the click of boot heels on stone. Scarlett, Gwen and Zig were descending the stone steps behind Link and Zelda. The captain sniggered at him as she brushed passed. "Afraid of a little bug?"

"That's not exactly little," said Link, gesturing to the mammoth caterpillar, "How do you even ride that thing?"

"It takes some practice," said Boro, "See, there's the feeder in front of it. It refills itself as the caterpillar moves, scraping the naturally occurring moss and larvae off of the track it's harnessed to. When it's in the resting position the caterpillar stops and stays put until its finished eating. You control the position of the feeder from the trolley on its back. Come on, I'll show ya!"

"Wow, I've never seen a catapilla so big!" said Toro, skipping along behind his father.

"It's fuzzy," said Doro, "I wanna ride it too!"

"Now settle down, the both of you," chided Boro, "You won't be taking any trips today. Our brothers have some dangerous business to deal with."

They approached the side of the massive insect. The beast had returned to its grazing, appearing to care very little what they were up to. Boro opened a grate on the floor near the creature's flank and pulled a retractable iron ladder from within. He lifted it into a standing position and then hooked the top of it onto the side of the big leathery harness on the caterpillar's back.

"Okay, brother Link, why don't you go up first?"

"Alright…" said Link, reluctantly. He slowly began to climb the ladder, privately dreading being on top of the wild-looking creature. At the top of the ladder, he found that the harness the beast wore was actually a kind of riding car with seats and everything, although they appeared less than comfortable. He lifted his leg into the car and plopped down on one of the seats. It was made of a kind of rough, brown material, hard like chitin. Link tapped it experimentally and found that it felt hollow.

"Settled in then?" Boro's head popped up over the side of the car, and the hefty Goron lifted himself into the cart. The harness swayed a little from the weight of the rock man, and Link noted how impressive it was to see an insect carry a Goron on its back. "Okay then, see those levers over there?" there were three levers protruding from a panel at the end of the car closest to the caterpillar's head. Link reached out a hand to grasp one curiously, but Boro shouted at him, "Don't touch 'em yet! That one there increases the feeder distance from the mandibles, and that one next to it decreases the distance. Now remember, too far and the caterpillar won't run straight, and you'll end up derailing. Too close, and he'll settle right down to eat and not even think about moving forward. You have to catch it in just the right spot to coax him into walking."

"What about the third lever?" asked Link.

"Good eye, brother," said Boro, "That's the most important one. That lever switches the direction of the track when you come to a fork. Even one wrong turn and you could end up hundreds of miles off from where you mean to be, so it's really important that you follow the directions Gorbu gave to your captain very closely!"

"How do you tell when a fork is coming?"

"Well, more often than not you can see the track ahead well enough by the front lamp, but the track has grooves that catch the bottom of the harness and ring a bell when a fork is coming," explained Boro, "Up on the lever sends you left and down sends you right. It's important that you pull the lever a few seconds early, or the harness won't catch the turn groove right and you'll end up going wherever the caterpillar pleases!"

"This sounds really complicated," said Link, eyeing the levers warily. He had never even ridden a horse on his own, much less conducted the movements of a giant caterpillar! The big bug let out another trumpeting squawk, making the boy jump a little.

"It's tricky, that goes without saying," said Boro, a stern look in his eye, "It would be preferable to have you practice a few times before making a trip this size all on your own, but the Brotherhood is pretty clear about wanting you out. There are safer routes to take, it's not too late for you to go another way, but if you must go to that accursed Necropolis then this is your only option save for flying."

"This'll do just fine," said Scarlett, mounting the ladder and vaulting into the car, "I'm sure the whelp and I can manage to keep her on course."

Zelda was next, reluctantly climbing aboard the beastly caterpillar, squeaking pathetically at the feeling of one of its bristled hairs brushing her hand. She selected one of the chitin seats nearest the center of the car, folding her arms in her lap and trying her hardest not to let the discomfort shine through in her expression. She did a poor job.

Zig and Gwen mounted the thing wordlessly, apparently undisturbed by the sight of the massive insect. Gwen sat down beside Zelda and elbowed the princess gently in the side. Zelda looked up with a scowl, but Gwen only smiled.

Boro went over the controls twice more and then made Link and Scarlett repeat everything back to him. The captain was noticeably annoyed by this, clearly antsy to get a move on. Link noticed that Scarlett had seemed to be unable to relax since he had seen her in Gorbu's hall that morning. Had she been that way since the battle at the Temple of the Heart? It made the boy thankful he had been unconscious for the bulk of their stay at Diamondhearth. Scarlett was a difficult person to get along with when she was in a good mood, and terrifying when in a bad one. He had no desire to see how she operated over long periods of restlessness or anxiety.

There was some of this reflected in Zig and Gwen as well. The other pirates had always been warmer to him than Scarlett was, and in the days leading up to their fateful ride through Kakariko Link had even begun to think of them as family, but something about their countenance in the past hours had seemed different. Could it have had something to do with the Crimson Stalfos? Link guessed that was probably it. He wondered how Kef and the other pirates were getting along without their captain present to dole out orders. In all the time he'd spent aboard the Stalfos, the vessel had not once stopped for fuel. Yet, the Stalfos ran on steam engines, didn't it? Steam required heat, and heat required fire. Fire needed coal to keep burning. How did the Stalfos acquire more?

He'd never heard the pirates speak of anything like a port of berth. Did the Stalfos ever touch the ground? He supposed that it must do so occasionally. Did that mean that the pirates had a home somewhere? Link tried to imagine people like Zig and Scarlett having homes and families. It was a difficult picture to grasp. However, supposing that the pirate ship did have a home port, then the Stalfos would be Scarlett and her crew's only tangible connection to that distant home.

His companions were so severe and battle-hardened; he had only just begun to think of them as real people. He mused on how selfish that sounded, even in his head. That was the whole point of being a pirate though, right? Link had spent a long time being an outlaw, and he knew the same thing all outlaws knew: you didn't get tough or street smart because it was fun. You did it because that's what you had to do. Pretty soon, no one could touch you because you'd gotten so good at making sure you weren't there to be touched. To show emotion was to show weakness, and it wasn't like anyone was going to coddle you and lick your wounds for you when you were all on your own anyway. Appearing tougher than you really were was a way to keep all the bad things on the outside where they couldn't hurt you.

He tried to imagine what it would be like to have to do that with more than just your own life at stake. What if you had a family, friends, people who counted on you? Then it wouldn't just be you against the world anymore. It would be you between the world and all of those things you needed to protect. Even hypothetically, the pressure was enough to make him anxious. He glanced at Gwen, at Scarlett, at Zig. They all wore the same weary, overdrawn look at the corners of their steadfast grimaces. Even as Gwendolin ribbed Zelda for her fear of insects, there was a plasticized quality in her smile. Worry was creeping somewhere under the mask. Link had heard Gwen describe the Stalfos as her home, but now that home was far away, and the pirates could not return there, could not even know it still existed to return to. Were they feeling that separation?

"Well, that's as good a crash course as you're gonna get I think," said Boro, "I guess there's nothing left to do but send ya off. Toro, Doro, come say goodbye to our brothers!"

The young Gorons came hopping up the ladder, smiling brightly as always.

"Hey good luck, brothers!" said Toro, waving, "Don't forget to come visit us after you're done saving the world, Mr. Legendary Hero!"

"Yeah," said Doro, "Bring us back any strange rocks you find. I've never tried foreign food before."

"The two of you be good for you father," said Zelda, sweetly, "You are very lucky to have him!"

"We will, Zelda," said the pair, in unison.

"Yeah, yeah, you take care of yerselves, you little doorstops," grumbled Scarlett, "Never lose that sense of family. Ye've got a good head for what's important, and that's hard to find in youngsters like yerselves."

The Gorons climbed back down the ladder, retreating to the center of the platform so they could watch the group leave from a safe distance. Scarlett produced a small stone tablet from her travel bag, upon which was etched the directions for navigating the complicated network of Gorgoru tunnels. Link settled down in the pilot seat, situated in front of the levers, and prepared himself to follow Scarlett's directives as they had planned on. Link, Zelda, Gwen and Zig all waved one final farewell to their rocky hosts- Scarlett merely scowled a little more cheerfully –and with the chime of a bell Link experimentally shifted the lever to bring the feeder further from the caterpillar's chomping mouth.

There was a scraping sound and the chink of chains knocking somewhere, and then the beast began to trundle forward in slow, lumbering steps, its body bunching and un-bunching, rolling the car around in a way reminiscent of a striding camel.

"Give 'er a little more sway!" called Boro.

Link tapped the lever a little more. The great worm began to inch a little faster, but its motions still shook the cart around violently. Link pulled the lever harder. Suddenly the trough lurched forward, and there was the patter of a thousand tiny feet skittering across stone. They were off like a shot! Link smashed a button on the control console just as they were descending into a dark cavern, and there was a sulfuric flash as the lamps on the creature's head burst to life. Soon, they were chugging along at an amazing pace, the cool cavern air whooshing all around them, tossing their hair haphazardly as they trundled along the track towards their destination.

"Not my first choice in travel plans, but I gotta admit that this thing can move!" shouted Scarlett to the wind.

"Where are we going, anyway?" replied Link, leaning towards the captain so that he could be heard over the passing gale.

"The City of Forgotten Souls," said Scarlett, "The ruins of a mighty city from a civilization older than any known in all of Hylia. The ancient sages chose the temple at the heart of the long-dead city to be the resting place for one of the shards of the treasure. It's a mighty safe place to hide something if you don't want it being found."

"Why is that?"

"It's a Necropolis," said Gwen, "Some sort of major catastrophe wiped out the entire population all at once. The whole place is like a mass grave, crawling with undead monsters. Re-deads, poes, deadhands, wallmasters… you name it."

"Most folk avoid the place like the plague," said Scarlett, "But we've never been a group to shy away from forbidden places, have we?"

"That's why Gorbu told us not to go!"

"Aye, that's right," said Scarlett, "Even the Gorons keep well clear of that cursed place. We'll likely be the first living creatures to set foot inside in thousands of years. Does that scare you, boy? Do you want to turn around and go home right now?"

"No," said Link, shaking his head, "No, I can handle it. We've come this far."

"Good boy," said Scarlett, "We'll make a real warrior out of you yet."


	21. Spiders

Chapter 21

The wind rushed passed them as the Gorgoru caterpillar chugged away with the speed and force of a steaming locomotive. Link was beginning to get used to the feel of regulating the thing's speed using the feeder, and he'd even navigated several of the forks in the path without incidence. Driving the beast along was even becoming a little fun.

Scarlett said that Gorbu had told her the trip would take about four hours, and that they would come up in an old Goron cave system only a couple of miles South of the Necropolis. Link tried to picture the place in his head, but he got the feeling that nothing he could imagine would come close. Everyone knew about re-deads and gibdos and those sorts of monsters, but actually encountering one was hardly a normal occurrence. For one thing, undead monsters had a kind of glamor about them that made living things especially vulnerable. It was said that the gaze of a re-dead or a gibdo could freeze a person in their tracks, leaving them completely paralyzed with fear and unable to defend themselves! The thought of it was horrifying. Link tried to imagine what it would be like to have to watch as one of the horrible walking corpses latched onto you and literally drained your life away. It was a sickening image.

They had been traveling for about three and a half hours when Scarlett passed out some dried meat and flat sheets of unleavened, stale bread. They had brought enough with to last them a week of meager rationing, but after that they would need to be able to find their own food, a task that seemed unlikely to accomplish in the midst of the Necropolis. Wholesome things to eat and drink seldom existed anywhere near a bastion of undeath.

Link was gnashing at a piece of jerky when Zelda came and sat beside him. There was no windshield on the Gorgoru, and in order to be heard one needed to either huddle close to the person they were speaking to, or shout over the rush of passing wind. Zelda opted for the former.

"Are you feeling alright, Link?" said the princess, "Your wounds do not hurt too much?"

"Oh, yeah, I barely feel anything," said Link, running his fingers across the gauze wrappings on his chest, "I guess I must have slept through the worst of it."

"We haven't been above ground since the Temple of the Heart went under, so I wasn't able to use the Light of the Goddess to heal you," said Zelda, "I was really worried you would not wake up. Scarlett was talking about leaving you behind."

"Yeah, she likes to make threats," said Link, rolling his eyes, "You know what I think though? I think if she were going to leave anyone behind she would have already done it. She acts real tough, but when it comes down to it she's not all that bad."

"I suppose," said Zelda, dismissively. She wanted to believe Link, but she knew how the boy saw things. He trusted people automatically, assumed everyone was good until given an express reason to think otherwise. Maybe he was right about Scarlett not being serious with her threats, but threats they remained. It was hardly inspiring of trust to be led by someone who frequently threatened violence and rash action. In Zelda's opinion, Scarlett was the exact opposite of what a leader should be.

She had time and again led the pirates to situations which would have spelled their doom if it had not been for Link's continued presence among them. It amazed her that the pirates followed Scarlett at all. If it could not be Zig that led them, then at least it should have been Gwendolin, who had all the skill and determination of her captain with less of the tendency to act on impulse. Perhaps Gwen was younger, being only in her early twenties, but Zelda regarded the younger pirate as being by far the more level headed. Clearly Scarlett loved the Crimson Stalfos, but did she consider what was best for its crew? If it had been Zelda's place to do so, she would have challenged the captain's claim to leadership outright, but for some reason Gwen and Zig and the other pirates seemed to follow Scarlett with unwavering loyalty.

"Hey, what were you trying ask me back in Diamondhearth anyway?" said Link, suddenly.

Zelda tensed up. She had forgotten. At the time the question she had meant to ask seemed opportune, but somehow it had lost some of its potency. Or perhaps she had just lost her nerve. She turned her eyes down and told him a stupid lie.

"Oh," she began, "I just wanted to know if you… uh… if you wanted a tour of the castle when we get back…"

"Oh," said Link, rolling the idea over in his mind, "Well, sure, I guess that'd be nice. I've only every seen the outside of it, after all. Well… and the dungeon…"

"Right," said Zelda, to which she added a very unnatural sounding laugh. There was a moment of awkward silence while the princess shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Why had she not told him the truth? It had sounded like such a wonderful idea mere hours ago. She cursed herself internally for being so fickle. Link stirred up emotions in the girl which she had not had proper time to process or cope with. Life in Hyrule Castle had been as isolated as it was privileged, and boys had not been at the forefront of the princess' mind growing up. She was a scholar and a keeper of Hylian legend, a mage and a healer, a thinker, born to someday lead. Getting heartsick over blond teenage boys was not part of her world, and the sudden integration of such emotions made the princess unsure of herself.

"Hey, do you wanna try driving it?" said Link, smiling at the girl.

"What?" said Zelda, her deep reflection disrupted by the unexpected question, "Oh, no, I could not possibly. Really, that would be far too much."

"Nah, it's easy, c'mon!"

He seized her hand, guiding it to clutch one of the feeder levers.

"There ya go!" said Link, "See, you just ease it. Once it's up to speed there's nothing to it. Here, pull this one down a bit, it'll go even faster!"

Zelda pushed the lever down just a tad and the feeder on the front of the giant bug shifted forward and the insect below increased the locomotion of its mighty legs, trying endlessly to reach the food kept ever so slightly out of reach.

She smiled despite herself, finding unsuspected joy in the sensation of controlling the creature's speed. Her eyes met Link's. He was right beside her, his hand still over hers, and his soft cheek only inches from her own. The boy smiled back at her, and there was a moment of eye contact between them that felt charged with tangible electricity. Zelda found herself leaning closer to the boy without meaning to. Their noses were nearly touching. She could feel his breath. Her lips parted. Her eyelids slid shut. There was a strange and primal bliss washing over her, like warmth of the soul centered in the depth of her heart. She could feel him, and she knew if she allowed it to continue then she would lose herself to that feeling. They would kiss, and she would never be able to go back to the way things were.

The Gorgoru caterpillar came to a sudden, wrenching halt. Zelda and Link were thrown to a heap on the floor.

"What did I do?" cried Zelda.

"Nothing," said Scarlett, standing up to have a look at the road ahead of the massive caterpillar, "It stopped on its own."

"Why?" said Link, lifting himself up from the floor.

"Have a look for yerself," said Scarlett.

Link looked. By the light of the lamps burning atop the caterpillar's head Link could make out the shape of long cords of fibrous, white silk hanging from the rocky walls of the cavern, and draped across the track ahead of them. The way forward was completely blocked. The caterpillar shifted restlessly, wagging its head from side to side, and pulling at the harness. Link leaned forward and tugged one of the levers, letting the feeding trough settle in front of the hungry bug. It lowered its head and began to munch away, unconcerned by anything else around it.

"What is that?" said Zelda, having just caught sight of the silky barrier herself.

"It's a web," said Scarlett, flatly.

"A web?" said Zelda, "You mean like a spider's web? That is impossible! What sort of spider weaves a web so large?"

"I'd rather we didn't find out," said Scarlett, "This thing can't back up, so we'll have to clear the road ourselves. If it is spider web then it should burn. We'll have to climb down and set fire to it."

"Climb down?" said Gwen, peering over the side of the car into the darkness below, "Even with our training, it would only take a single slip up and that could end badly. Who knows how far down these tunnels go? I doubt if we would ever find anyone if we lost them down here. Can't you just use your fire magic, Zelda?"

"The spell is too destructive. I could protect you all by linking hands, but there's no way to stop it from burning the caterpillar," said Zelda, "We might be able to get rid of the webs, but we'd still be stuck."

"Then there's nothing else for it," replied Scarlett, "We climb down and light it ourselves. Ms. Gwendolin, accompany me. Mr. Zig, stay here with the runts. I don't want whatever made that web catching us unawares."

"I can help, too!" said Link, standing up. Scarlett put her boot to the boy's chest and shoved him back into his seat. "Hey!"

"Not so fast, boy," said Scarlett, "I've seen you fall off of things too many times to send you down there. Don't worry; you'll get your chance to shine before too long, but for now let us grownups handle things."

Gwen and Scarlett removed their cumbersome belts, setting down their cutlasses, pouches and pistols. Only their hookshots remained, which they clipped onto belt loops on their pants. Scarlett withdrew two flasks of oil from her travel bag, passing one to Gwen. Then she produced a box of Goron-made sulfur head matches, which she removed a handful from and stuffed into her pocket. She passed the box to Gwen and the younger pirate took some as well.

"It shouldn't take much to start it burning," said Scarlett, "The track is pretty rough, so there should be plenty of places to hang on. We should get as low as we can and light the webs from the bottom so that the flame doesn't startle the Gorgoru. That should give us enough time to climb back up."

Gwen nodded her agreement. The two of them crept silently over the side of the cart, clinging to the hairy sides of the caterpillar. The beast was unbothered by their movements, its focus still entirely concerned with the feeder in front of it. They climbed down the tufts of bristled hair, finding just enough room to stand upon the edge of the stone cylinder which was the Gorgoru track. They crept along the rough stone, peering warily into the darkness ahead of them. The lamps on the head of the caterpillar illuminated the dark with a stark glare, and though the immediate road ahead was visible, the shadows beyond the webbing were murky and impenetrable.

They came to the edge of the light. Gwen gave Scarlett a worried look, but the captain's hardened expression didn't change. She lifted her leg and stepped over the first few strands of web, approaching the edge of the track. She crouched, positioning herself to inspect the shadows below the webbing. There were rough grooves in the Gorgoru track which she could use as handholds. The pirate sat down, swinging her legs over the side, and lowered herself very carefully off the side of the track. She dangled there, her hands gripping the rough stone tightly, endless darkness yawning beneath her.

"Okay, Ms. Gwendolin, are you in position?" shouted Scarlett to the darkness.

"Aye, Captain!" replied Gwen from the other side.

"Okay, go ahead and find a spot to douse with oil," said Scarlett, "Wait for my mark to light it."

On the back of the Gorgoru, Link and Zelda were straining to see passed the glow of the caterpillar's headlamps, trying to pick out the shape of Gwen or Scarlett in the darkness. The eerie silence of the cave came on suddenly and oppressive. Waiting anxiously for the pirates to return, the feeling of nameless dread that permeated the surrounding cavern became instantly apparent. Zelda gripped Link's arm tightly, trying to breathe as quietly as she could for fear of missing some remote sound which might indicate something moving in the sunless void all around them.

Zelda did not see anything, however. It was Link, whose gaze had wandered from the silent track below them to the barely-visible walls and ceiling of the tunnel, who saw movement in the silent dark. At first he had thought it the lithe shape of Gwen, clinging to the wall with acrobatic Shiekah cunning, skittering noiselessly over the cragged surface of the cavern. Then, the shape reached out of the dark towards them, and he saw the silhouette of its awful, fanged chelicerae- the dripping, poisonous mouth of a gargantuan spider.

"You guys…" said Link, his horrified gaze locked on the creeping silhouette. Suddenly more shapes were emerging from the dark; spindly legged, lurking shapes which crawled atop one another to get a better glimpse of their waiting prey. Link saw the shine of watching eyes, like twinkling gems in the twilight of the cavern.

The Gorgoru suddenly let out a scream, thrashing its massive body about as much as it could, but the harness kept it secured to the track. Gwen and Scarlett had to stop and brace their holds on the rough stone. Scarlett's bottle of oil fell from her grip and disappeared into the darkness below, but thankfully she'd already mostly emptied it onto the sticky silken webbing.

Zelda and Zig had become aware of the writhing mass of spiders on the walls and ceilings overhead. Zelda emitted a shrill scream, throwing herself to the floor of the cart. Link's blade was in his hands instantly. Zig flicked his wrist and his hidden blade came jutting from his arm.

The following moments were a chaotic blur.

Several of the arachnids dropped onto the back of the Gorgoru, and they raised their fangs threateningly into the air. Link finally got a better look at them by the light of the lamps, and he saw that they were truly hideous. The beasts were the size of grown men, with hairy legs banded in black and gold, and pale white abdomens, with markings eerily reminiscent of skulls. A million tiny red eyes gleamed from atop their fangs, which were easily the length of Link's short sword.

Zig let loose a battle cry, thrusting his blade into the mouth of one of the beasts. Sickly green liquid poured from the wound, and the spider's legs twitched helplessly as it died on the spot.

One of the beasts advanced towards Link, and he lashed out with his sword, clipping one of its fangs clean off. The spider recoiled, walking backwards with surprising speed to escape the stinging blade. Link began to advance, but two more of the beasts popped up before he could go more than a couple steps.

"Ms. Gwendolin, get that fire lit!" shouted Scarlett, struggling to spark a match against the rough stone. She tried once, twice- the third time was the charm! The match flared to life, and Scarlett tossed it onto the oil-soaked webbing. There was a woosh, and suddenly the cave sprang to life with fiery light.

In the new illumination, the horror of their situation became apparent. Suddenly they became aware of the sheer number of their assailants. Hundreds upon hundreds of spiders lined the wall, chattering and hissing at one another as they scrambled to recoil from the sudden, bright light.

On the other side of the track, Gwen was struggling to free the bundle of matches from her waistband. Suddenly a set of creeping legs appeared from the edge of the platform above her, and the awful fangs of a deadly spider came reaching for her. She immediately snatched up her hookshot, but the jerking motion dislodged the matches and sent them fluttering to the unknown depths of the cavern below.

"Dammit!" shouted Gwen. There was no time to lament the loss of the matches, she had to defend herself. She gripped the wall tight with her left hand, raising her right arm to level the hookshot and take aim at her target. She pointed the little grappling hook right into the creature's venomous mouth and pulled the trigger.

Kachink! –the hook discharged powerfully, splitting the soft mouth of the spider with a sickening squish. Green-gray fluids came pouring from the wound. The hookshot retracted, pulling the spider from its perch and sending it hurling into the pit below.

"Captain, I've lost the matches!" cried Gwen, "I can't get this side lit!"

"Get out of there, Gwen!" screamed Scarlett, swinging herself back onto the track. The encroaching arachnids were all around. She pulled her own hookshot, firing it into the abdomen of one of the creatures. The chain lodged solidly in the monster, and Scarlett jerked it upwards, sending the creature flying into the air. She swung the chain in a high arc over her head, smashing it into the ground behind her, and sending several of its companions sliding into the void. Another of the beasts was at Scarlett's feet now, its fangs only inches from her leg. She had to drop the hookshot as she kicked the beast hard in the eye with her boot. The spider was stunned long enough for Scarlet to walk right across its back, using the abdomen as a springboard to throw herself to the other side of the track. She landed alongside Gwen, clinging to the Gorgoru track.

"Captain, there's too many of them!" cried Gwen.

"Just get back on the caterpillar, I'll take care of this!" shouted Scarlett.

"No, Captain, I can't leave you down here! You'll be overrun!"

"Dammit, Ms. Gwendolin, I wasn't asking you!"

Gwen was speechless as she looked into Scarlett's one, fiery eye. She didn't waste another moment. She climbed the side of the track automatically, scraping her way back up the side of the caterpillar and throwing herself back into the cart. As soon as she was in she turned around to try and spot Scarlett, but she could not see all the way over the edge of the track from on top of the Gorgoru.

"Gwen, keep your head," said Zig, handing Gwen her cutlass, "We're not out of this yet."

She clasped the handle of the weapon, and hastened to join the fray. Link was still holding off the spiders as best he could, trying desperately to keep them away from the limp form of Zelda, who had fainted from the sudden stress of facing such giant creepy-crawlies.

Down below, Scarlett was drawing another match. She dragged the head across the rough stone and it sprang to life instantly. She threw it onto the webbing, and the other side of the tunnel went up in bright flames. The webs were burning away, and the path ahead would be cleared in mere moments. All she had to do was get back inside the cart and they could make their escape.

She heaved herself back onto the platform, finding it overrun with the menacing arachnids. She had no weapon, and could not risk getting too close to the venomous mouths of the creatures. She made a break for the caterpillar, but more of the beasts descended on lengths of silk, blocking her egress. She glanced around for some other route, fighting to keep from panicking. Her eye caught something shining on the ground beside her. Her hookshot! She tumbled out of the way of a fanged strike, plucking the little weapon from the ground as she went. There was no way to hookshot to the caterpillar without hurting it, so she had to retreat the only way she could. She pointed the weapon at the cavern wall and fired.

The little hook went reeling out, finding hold on the rough stone wall, and she clicked the trigger once more to pull herself to the surface. Scarlett hit the cavern wall with a heavy thud, just barely finding a spot to cling to the precarious stones.

There were still spiders all around her, creeping across the wall, closing in on her by the second. She looked over at the Gogoru, writhing impatiently in the flickering light of the burning webs. The arachnids were swarming around it, and soon they would overtake Link and his companions completely. They needed to get out of there now, or none of them would ever be leaving that place.

"Gwendolin!" yelled Scarlett, "The path is clear. Get out of here! You'll never make it if you don't go now!"

"I won't leave you!" cried Gwen, even as she swung her blade at spider after spider. She, Link and Zig were dispatching them by the dozen, but it seemed no matter how many of the monstrous arachnids they put down more would show up to replace them.

"Ms. Gwendolin, as your captain I order you to get moving! _Now_!"

Gwen felt as though time was slowing all around her. She could hear the blood pumping through her body; feel the heat of the flames on her skin. She gutted another spider before turning to look at Scarlett. Their eyes met, and Scarlett wore a look of somber seriousness. Gwen knew it right away. Scarlett was right. They had to go, and there was no way for her to get back on board.

"Do it, Ms. Gwendolin," yelled Scarlett.

Gwen reached down and yanked the feeder lever, raising the trough so that the caterpillar could move again. The Gorgoru wasted no time in fleeing the swarm of aggressive arachnids. It lurched into motion immediately, and the spiders were thrown everywhere as it charged down the tunnel at full tilt. Scarlett watched the lights of the headlamp disappear down the distant cavern, far away. The webs were nearly all burned, and the light was dying. She could hear a million legs skittering on stone, every one of the swarming beasts coming for her from the shade of subterranean shadows. She looked around one last time, sighing painfully at the sudden feeling of isolation and defeat.

"You know what?" said the pirate to herself, "I'm not giving you the satisfaction."

She took a deep breath and threw herself off the wall into the pit below.


	22. Captured

Chapter 22

The caterpillar died about a half-mile shy of the station, succumbing to the venom of the many spider bites it had received. They were forced to disembark and walk the rest of treacherous track. They did so in solemn silence, a cloud of wordless melancholy hovering over them. No one spoke.

Zelda stole glances at Gwen when she could. She couldn't help it. The pirate had not said a word since they had left Scarlett. Quietly, Gwendolin had gathered Scarlett's cutlass and belt from the floor of the cart and wrapped it around her waist. She had spent the rest of the ride staring blankly at the jeweled handle of the sword, turning it over in her hands in a contemplative manner. There were no tears in her eyes, but the pirate looked colorless and broken, her usual confident presence entirely squandered by the storm cloud of sadness that had overtaken them.

The princess had tried to approach Gwen only once, placing a comforting hand on the pirate's arm and offering a gentle condolence. The pirate had thrown Zelda's arm away, turning from her without a word, and walking off down the dark track at a clip. Her shadow looked as tall a giant in the flickering light of Zig's lamp.

Zig had the only remaining oil, and though they still had two more lamps they elected to only light one in order to save fuel. Link and Zig were on edge, traveling with their weapons drawn and startling at the smallest sound of fallen pebbles or phantom footfalls in the dark. They did not come across any more spiders, though. It seemed that the threat had risen and fell in an instant, nothing but the shade of a nightmare in the dark, surreal, fantastical, and fleeting. It could have been a dream, but for the obvious consequences.

Zelda tried not to feel anything. She had hated Scarlett, hadn't she? Perhaps, but she had never wished for something like _this _to happen. The pirate had been rash, unreasonable, cruel, and flat out rude on more than one occasion, but being devoured alone miles below the surface of the world was a fate too grim for Zelda to consider it appropriate for anyone. There was a poison in the air. One of their number was lost- they had _lost _one of their own –and Zelda could not escape feeling that emptiness.

What made it worse was that she had been thinking ill of the pirate only moments before she had given her life to save them. What judgment could the princess pass now? It suddenly didn't seem so easy to quantify Scarlett's worth, looking with hindsight at a world where the pirate was no longer among them. Had she really been a bad leader? Had she really been a bad person?

People were _so_ complicated. Once again, Zelda found herself completely unsure about things she had thought she was beginning to grasp. How was anyone supposed to be a King or a Queen? How did they sleep at night? It was the most awful responsibility in the world, deciding wrong from right. You could be so sure that everything was the way it should be, that you were doing what you _had _to do, and in the end you could still be wrong. How were you supposed to face the world again when everyone knew you had made the decision that had cost them their safety, their freedom, their loved ones? She didn't want it. She didn't want it and it made her want to scream. She knew that Scarlett's death had not been her fault. She knew that there was nothing else she could have done to save her, but she could not stop herself from feeling guilty anyway.

"What's that, up ahead?"

It had been Link's voice that had finally pierced the oppressive silence. By the lamplight, Zelda could see the boy's silhouette a ways ahead of her. He was pointing into the distance. Some ways down the tunnel, its features covered by shadow, the hulking form of a giant Hylianoid creature was looming.

At first Zelda recoiled in horror at the sight of the new monstrosity, but Zig held the lamp up high over his head and she was able to see that there was nothing to fear. The monster, monstrous though it was, turned out to be decidedly inanimate. The statue was one of several which lined the track, each one the form of a massive Goron, his arms over his head as if he were holding up the ceiling of the cavern. The faces were eons old carvings with frowning mouths and dark eyes.

"This must be the station we're looking for," said Zig, "Come on. There should be a way to climb up ahead."

Past the statue the cave opened up, and they found a station similar to the one they had departed from. It was a dangerous jump across from the track to the platform, but they all managed without much trouble. The station was plain except for the statues, and lacked any of the bench-like rocks which had been present at the station in Diamondhearth. At the end of the platform a cavernous opening revealed some narrow stairs disappearing upwards into darkness.

"This must be the way out," said Link, "I wonder how far it is to the surface."

"The Gorons told us that the station should lead to a surface level cave," said Zig, "As long as we haven't made a wrong turn, it should be just a short walk to the surface. They said we should be able to see the Necropolis from the mouth of the cave, a couple miles to the South on a coastal peninsula below the mountains."

"Well," said Link, rubbing his palms together, "I guess there's nowhere left to go but up then, huh?"

There was a sudden, enraged shout, followed by the clatter of metal scraping stone. They looked back at Gwen, who had suddenly thrown Scarlett's sword away from her, the weapon coming to rest near the edge of the platform. The pirate had her fists clenched, her eyes shut tight. She tore at her hair in frustration, and collapsed to her knees, sobbing horribly.

"Gwen…" said Link, but he couldn't find any more words. They watched for a moment as the pirate broke down. Zelda's eyes darted worriedly from Gwen to Zig, but the elder pirate had turned his back, an unreadable expression on his face. Zelda was shocked. Was he going to say anything?

"What's the point?" wailed Gwen, "Why are we even doing this? It doesn't make any sense. We've been trying for so long, and all it does it take away more and more."

"That's not true!" said Link, "Everything will…"

"Be fine?" snapped the pirate, "Don't say it. I can't hear that crap right now. You know it, and I know it, and everyone knows it. Ever since we took up this Goddess-forsaken quest it's been nothing but nearly dying every day. We almost lost Zig, then we almost lost Kef… and Zelda, you've lost your father to that damnable curse, just like… oh dammit! I can't even think about it. And now… and now she's left me all alone too…"

"You are not alone though," said Zelda. She immediately regretted it as Gwendolin turned around, glaring at the princess through bloodshot eyes. There was a moment of silence, during which Zelda got the distinct impression that Gwen was waiting for her to explain herself.

"I mean," began Zelda, meekly, "We have each other still. I think that Scarlett would have wanted…"

"You shut your mouth, princess!" cried Gwen, rising to her feet. The pirate drew her own sword, crossing over to Zelda in three quick strides and pointing the weapon into the princess' heart, "Don't you ever talk about what Scarlett would want! You have no idea who Scarlett is. Who she was…"

There was a long, tense moment. Link had his sword drawn, although he was not eager to have to use it. Zelda found herself unable to feel fear. The sword pointed at her heart felt as though it had merely become manifest, but had been there in spirit for quite some time. How could she be so stupid? Gwen, her level-headed candidate for pirate captain, fell to pieces without Scarlett there to guide her. Clearly the bond between the Captain and her crew ran much deeper than Zelda had understood.

"You know what?" Gwen sheathed her sword, "Just forget it. We'll get your stupid shard, princess, and after we do you can take every scrap of that Goddess forsaken treasure and get as far away from me as possible. I've lost enough family. I'm done."

The pirate walked away without another word, disappearing swiftly up the stairwell which led out of the old station. Zig remained at the base of the steps, saying nothing as Gwen made her exit. Once the sound of Gwen's footfalls were out of shot Zig turned to regard Link and Zelda, the same kind of hardened, unreadable expression on his face as had been since the captain's disappearance.

"It would be best for you to give Gwendolin some space," said Zig, "Having been Scarlett's first mate, the office of Captain falls on Gwen now. It is a heavy burden to bear, and I'm sure she's feeling it. Give her some time to get her head together."

With that, Zig passed the lantern to Link, and turned to follow Gwen up the dark steps towards the surface. Link turned around to regard Zelda, giving the princess a sympathetic look.

"I swear, I will never understand these pirates," said Zelda, shaking her head.

"Really?" said Link, "Don't get me wrong, Gwen shouldn't have pointed a sword at you, but… I guess I kind of get how she must be feeling."

"Getting angry will not bring Scarlett back," said Zelda, "Scarlett clearly felt that she needed this treasure. I do not see how Gwendolin can just turn her back on that now. If people are depending on her now, then she needs to be strong."

"Are you talking about Gwen or yourself?"

"What?" The princess was taken aback to hear Link speak to her that way. She caught herself with her jaw hanging open stupidly, and put her hands on her hips, trying not to look as frustrated as she felt.

"When I found you in the dungeon you were crying," said Link, "It was about your father right?"

"That's not the same thing at all!" Shouted Zelda, her little fists clenching, knuckles white. She could have hit him just then, just to shut him up. How could he bring that up? Why was everyone ganging up on her when all she wanted to do was help?

"Isn't it though?" persisted the boy, "You even told me to leave you there. You said it was hopeless."

Zelda glared at him, daggers in her eyes. Link frowned.

"Don't get mad," said Link, staring blankly at the girl. The princess felt the surge of anger rise in her, but something about the seriousness in the boy's shining blue eyes diffused it before it could manifest into harsher words. She railed against it, but in the end she just couldn't bring herself to be angry at Link. He could disarm her with a glance.

"I'm your friend, Zelda," said Link, "I'm just saying, I don't think you're taking the time to look at this from Gwen's perspective. I don't know what it's like to have a normal family, but I do remember what it was like at the orphanage. We were like brothers… me and the other kids I mean. I don't know what happened to any of them after I left, but at the time we were all sort of in it together. We didn't always get along about everything, and sometimes we fought over stupid stuff like who was the biggest and the strongest or whatever, but we were there for each other when it counted. We never told on each other or did anything that would get other kids punished. Sometimes we would even take the fall for each other when the adults didn't know who was really to blame for something…"

"What are you talking about?" She crossed her arms uncomfortably, trying to keep her eyebrows pointed down to maintain the illusion of rage. Inside she felt guilt, though. Scarlett was like a family member to her crew, a matriarch, a leader. Zelda hadn't wanted to believe that Scarlett was any of those things, but she was. What was Zelda's real reason for resenting Scarlett? Was it because she had threatened her life? Or was it because of the pieces of herself which Zelda saw in the pirate? Perhaps she was afraid of becoming Scarlett. Perhaps, in ways, she already was becoming Scarlett.

"I'm just saying, I don't think that Gwen thinks of Scarlett as just a captain," said Link, "I mean, imagine if you just lost your father. Not even just to a curse, but to death. What would you do if someone told you it was all going to be fine? I know that's all there is to say sometimes… but that doesn't stop people from feeling angry about it…"

Zelda suddenly felt as though she were going to cry. She had not looked away from Link's eyes once since the boy had started talking. His expression was more severe, more mature than any she had yet seen him wear. Had he always been this way, underneath everything? There were so many layers to the people around her which she had been completely unaware of. Even Link, the person she had come to think of as the one shred of stability in the mess her life had become, was changing right before her eyes. She felt grateful for the boy's words, though. Once again, Link had opened her eyes to a perspective she would have left completely unexplored. It was as though the boy had some kind of otherworldly power over her; a mystic ability to always say the right thing at the right time. It was frustrating, but somehow it made her want to be with him all the time.

"Come on, Zelda," said Link, "Let's catch up to the others."

She took a step towards the boy, but something held her back. She looked over her shoulder at the golden cutlass, resting haphazardly near the edge of the platform. The princess went to the blade, lifting it off the ground and holding it gently in her flat palms. There was a scuff on the gold from Gwen throwing it, but the gems in the hilt still gleamed brilliantly in the lamplight. Zelda gripped the sword in one hand, feeling its weight. It was heavy for her, but she thought she would be able to carry it. She kept the sword as she returned to Link.

"Okay," said Zelda, "Let us go."

They climbed the narrow stairway, Link taking the lead, lantern held out in front of him. Each flight was steep, and doubled back over the last in a ladder like procession. They were climbing practically straight up. There was no sign of Zig or Gwen.

"Where are they?" asked Zelda, once they had crowned the fifth flight of stairs.

"They're probably waiting for us up at the top," said Link, "I'm sure we'll run into them any moment."

There was a shrill scream up ahead, unmistakably that of a Hylian woman. Zelda and Link exchanged worried glances by the light of the flickering lamp before mounting the next flight of stairs at a run. They clattered up the stairway, Zelda struggling for breath under the burden of the heavy sword, but she refused to ditch the weapon. Somehow, keeping it felt important.

They went up three more flights when Zelda almost ran straight into Link's back. The boy was crouching at the top of the stairwell, and he motioned to Zelda with his finger over his lips, hissing at her to stay quiet. He had snuffed out the lantern, but the stairs remained dimly illuminated by some light further on which Zelda could not identify the source of. Link was peering in the direction of the light, a troubled expression on his face. Zelda crept up alongside him, straining her eyes to see by the dim light.

It was a long cavern with a curved ceiling, devoid of any carvings or unnatural features. In the distance, the light of the sun was twinkling beyond the mouth of the cave. They had found the surface at last! Yet there was little to rejoice. Gwen and Zig were in the cavern already, but they were not alone. A group of small creatures had surrounded them, their peculiar features hard to make out in the darkness. Their bodies were pale and pear shaped, and their arms were like wisps of lightning blue, connecting their torsos to huge, mitt-like hands. They appeared to be wearing some sort of bulky headdresses, and their feet were so small that Zelda had trouble making them out at all. It almost appeared as though the creatures were not walking at all, but rather hovering low over the ground.

Each of the little things were brandishing glowing weapons, unfamiliar in design to Zelda, although it was clear by the way they pointed them that they were something like guns or crossbows. One of the things pointed its weapon at Gwen's face and began chattering in some foreign language. At first Zelda had thought the thing's speech nothing but gibberish, but as she listened to the oddly inorganic voice of the speaker a part of her brain she had not used in some weeks suddenly sprang to life. Her eyes widened in shock. It was not possible!

"What is it saying?" whispered Link.

"I'm not completely sure," said Zelda, "But that is ancient Hylian that it is speaking. The dialect is older than time, a completely dead language. No one has spoken that language in thousands upon thousands of years!"

There was a whirring sound, and suddenly the attention of several of the creatures switched to the doorway that Link and Zelda were crouching in. Link ducked down, pulling the princess along with him, but it was too late. The damage had been done.

"They saw us!" hissed Link.

"Oh no!" cried Zelda, "We have to get away!"

"There's nowhere for us to go," said Link, "If we go back down in the tunnels we'll either get cornered or get lost."

Suddenly the corridor lit up with bright light. One of the little things went gliding down at them, holding some sort of lamp which was blinding to the naked eye. Link and Zelda held up their hands to block their faces from the blinding glow.

Their assailant began to chitter at them in the same strange language as before. At once, a sizeable group of its compatriots filed down the stairway behind it. The little things swarmed around Zelda and Link with surprising speed, brandishing their little glowing weapons threateningly. One of them collected Scarlett's sword from Zelda, and then turned to wrestle Link's from him. The boy tried to resist, but the tiny creatures were surprisingly strong. They wrenched the little short sword out of the boy's grip.

The attackers squawked and barked orders in their odd language, gesturing roughly for Link and Zelda to go up the stairs and out into the cavern. The pair obliged, seeing no other option save for allowing themselves to be blasted by the enigmatic weapons the creatures carried.

"Oh, wonderful," said Gwendolin, seeing Zelda and Link being escorted into the cavern. Zelda could see now that both pirates' arms had been bound, and Zig's clockwork arm was blackened as if it had been burned by superheated fire. "Well, there goes our chance of a rescue. Let's just hope they don't decide to torture us before they kill us."

"No, wait, I think I understand their language," said Zelda, "Let me try something."

She summoned up her many years of training in culture and linguistics, trying to piece together the correct verbiage. She took a deep breath and began to speak, hoping she had identified the dialect correctly, "_Greetings, native peoples of this place. We mean no harm. Let us be peaceful."_

"Wonderful try, princess, but I don't think that will do any good;" said Gwen, "Take a closer look. They aren't even people. They're just machines."

Zelda looked down at her capturer, watching as its massive hands deftly bound her wrists with metal shackles of unfamiliar design. Zelda was horrified by what she saw. The 'skin' of the creatures was more like stone, but not the lively, burnished color of the Gorons. These things were dry and sandy looking. Their massive hands were not attached by slender blue arms as Zelda had though, but rather held in the air through some mystic force, their only connection to their body being a single, continuous cord of sparking blue lightning. Their faces were like expressionless masks, their eyes and mouth incongruous circles of varying size. The 'headdresses' they wore were not pieces of apparel at all, but rather a direct extension of their rocky, unnatural heads. Most shockingly, Zelda had not imagined that the things hovered. They had no feet at all. They just hung in the air, defying gravity as if it were simply the thing to do.

The little creatures shackled all of them, forcing the kids and the pirates onto their feet with surprising strength. One of the things barked an order in the same strange language, and they began to march towards the sunlight in the distance.

"Zelda," said Zig, trying to resists the jostling of the angry little robot which led him, "Can you tell what they are saying? Maybe you can find out where they are taking us."

"I don't know," said Zelda, "Let me try!"

She concentrated, trying to pick out individual words or phrases among the chatter of the gang of tiny robots. It was too difficult to discern anything specific when they all seemed to speak at once. Each of their voices was the same manufactured hum, and since their mouths did not move when they spoke it was hard to determine where one sentence ended and the next began. She could only catch incoherent shreds, meaningless without context. "To the sun…" "…lord of night…" or had the last word been sleep? She wasn't sure. Could have been anything. Then the word "Kadath" was repeated by several of the creatures, but she could not be sure if it were a person or a place. Finally, she caught one word which made her hair stand on end: "Nyarlath".

"They're talking about Nyarlath!" blurted Zelda.

The robot which guided her thrashed her painfully with the flat of its stony palm, shouting at her in a raised tone.

"Ibn iden ra peridae Nyarlathotep ul sur," said the robot, "Ibn id verita! Claram!"

"I don't think it liked that," said Link, "Maybe we should just wait and see where they take us."

"I don't think we have a choice," replied Gwen.

They were nearing the mouth of the cave. Stark sunlight washed over them, and Zelda suddenly realized how long it had been since they had seen the sun. They had to squint, their eyes burning at the sudden intrusion of natural light. The air was cool and smelled of sea-salt, and somewhere in the distance a seagull was cawing. Zelda shook her head, wanting desperately to rub her eyes, but her hands remained bound.

"I don't think we have to wonder about where they're taking us anymore," said Zig, "Look!"

Zelda's eyesight slowly came back to her, the outline of the world fading in through the sunny blur of light. They were looking down the steep slope of a mountain, a forest of dead trees stretching away from them. Beyond that was a beach of bone-white sand, assaulted by tumultuous waves. The water formed a bay, on the far side of which a sweeping peninsula extended several miles out to sea. At the tip of this peninsula, a massive structure of cyclopean architecture stood like an oceanic sentinel. It was circular in design, almost like a coliseum, although Zelda could see the roofs of many smaller structures rising above the top of the massive wall. Its stones were black and grey, and the entire impression of the place was one of skeletal ruin.

"Is that… ?" Zelda's words were lost somewhere. The eeriness of the scene was mesmerizing, and she could not bring herself to finish the sentence.

"The City of Lost Souls," said Gwen, solemnly, "Therein lays our necropolis. Looks like you get to continue your quest after all, princess."

Zelda watched the distant city, grim foreboding creeping over her as she regarded its shadowy towers and alien architecture. Her robot capturer jabbed his weapon into her back, forcing her out of her trance, and urged her to move along down the rocky slope. She had no choice but to follow. The princess watched as the sun set over the Eastern ocean. They marched Southward along the coast towards the Necropolis, and did not stop until well into the night.

* * *

In the dark depths of the tunnels far below Link and Zelda's feet, a battered form was lying on a murky, subterranean beach. It heaved itself into a sitting position, and began to violently hack water out of its air-starved lungs. Icy chill and pain hit all at once, and the sides of the temples throbbed sharply. The sound of water running in the distance echoed painfully on the inside of the skull. Scarlett had been absolutely sure that she had died, and if that supposition was correct then this had to be Hell.

Darker than she expected.

She pushed herself up, trying to stand on wobbly legs. To her amazement nothing appeared to be broken, although she was soaked to the bone in icy water. She took a few unsure steps in the darkness, staring hard into the void for any trace of light.

Her footsteps were answered with the sudden sound of a thousand tiny things rattling in the darkness, like an army of maracas being shaken simultaneously. She felt dozens of tiny things buzzing past her, getting caught in her hair and her clothes, skittering spider-like across her hands and feet. She desperately tried to keep from panicking. There was no safe spot on the land. She dove into the pool of water she had washed up in; trading the disgusting skitters of unknown insects for hypothermia inducing cold.

She held her breath as long as she could, but it was no use. She had to come up for air. She popped her head above the water, and was amazed to see that the cavern she was in had suddenly lit up.

Enormous flowers had unfurled along the walls, revealing luminescent leaves of neon green, violet, pink and blue. On each of the enormous flora was a pad covered in tiny hairs, at the center of the flower. Upon this pad were struggling cicadas, several in each case, glued to the spot by some natural adhesive the plants secreted.

The walls were rich with fungi and green-gray cave moss. She rose from the water, trying to shake off the cold, but heat was virtually unavailable in the dark place. She could see that the body of water was very large, stretching off farther than the light allowed for her to see, but the ceiling was very low. The beach itself led up to a cave, fraught with more of the bioluminescent flowers. Scarlett couldn't see any use in trying to swim the icy waters, and she knew she had to keep moving to keep from freezing to death, so she opted to follow the cave as far as her legs would carry her.

She trudged up the beach, her arms wrapped around herself, rubbing her elbows for warmth. The cavern twisted a few times, and she was careful as she went to not touch the glowing plants for fear that their toxins may not be limited to cicada killing. The bugs themselves were sparsely present among the foliage, occasionally buzzing by and startling her. She noted that they did not have eyes, and guessed by the way they sometimes chirped when they flew that they were using some kind of sonar.

Eventually the sound of rushing water became apparent once more, and she dreaded the idea that the cavern simply opened on another shore of the subterranean lake she'd landed in. When she emerged from the final bend of the narrow passage, she was wholly unprepared for what she found.

It was a great fissure in the earth, hundreds of feet deep and hundreds of feet wide. From the highest point of it, a great waterfall poured endlessly into a giant natural basin. The smell of salt suddenly invaded her sinuses, and she licked her lips automatically, cracking a bit of a smile, as she tasted the brine of the water she had just gone wading in. The moon gleamed bright and full, the sky clear of clouds above the enormous crack in the world she had wandered into. Bugs swarmed around in the air, darting from spot to spot on the walls of the little gorge, but they were not alone. There were small birds here too, and bats and more glowing flowers, and shrubs and bushes, which thrive hugging the walls of steep cliffs. Perhaps most amazing of all, though, were the chrysalises.

They were enormous! The size of buildings! She would have marveled at the thought of the caterpillar that spun them, if she hadn't already had a decent idea. Her smile turned into to a devil grin. Captain Scarlett shook off the icy chill, forgot about the dismal dark of the caves. _Those things_ were behind her. Now, it was time to get back to work.

She put her hands on her hips and chuckled at the glowing moon.

"Well," she said to no one, "If you can ride the caterpillars…"


	23. The Trial of Kull of the Shiekah

Chapter 23

The raven swooped low through the dead trees, its midnight eyes shining in the pale light of the full moon. It was hopping from branch to branch, watching intently as the procession of strange creatures ambled through the dead forest. It carefully took an inventory of the many sparkling baubles which dangled from the various travelers, clicking its beak greedily in anticipation of a chance to make off with some shiny treasure. Finally, the temptation became too strong to resist, and the bird took flight once more, dive bombing the line of late night voyagers with a determined caw.

"Eek!" Zelda shrieked as the bird struck her head, its wings flapping frantically. The beast squawked in terror and surprise as the princess jostled back and forth. It had a clump of her hair in its beak, and yet more of the curled blond locks tangled around its taloned feet.

"Karida bara ur!" shouted one of the tiny robots. It struck her with its weapon, knocking the girl and the bird both to the ground.

"Hey!" cried Link. The boy bravely took a step forward, but another of the robots butted him in the stomach with their gun. He fell to his knees, the wind knocked out of him.

Zelda rolled on the ground, the white dress the Gorons had given her becoming caked with mud. The raven dislodged itself, flopping around in the dirt as it struggled to gain its feet. The bird took a few hopping steps, shook out its wings, and took to the air once again with a few strands of Zelda's shiny blond hair streaming from its beak.

"Why did it hit me?" said Zelda, trying to stand, which was difficult with her hands still bound behind her, "It is not my fault that a bird just tried to attack me! Where did these damnable little machines even come from?"

"Are you alright, Zelda?" said Link. The boy was staggering to his feet, fighting the pain in his gut. His knees and shins were all caked in mud now too, and he could feel the sludge seeping into the top of his boots. It was wet and cold and disgusting.

"I am fine," said Zelda, "I just wish we had some kind of idea as to what these little… things! -want from us."

"What did it say?" said Zig.

"Say?" said Zelda, "When?"

"When it struck you," said Zig, "It said 'Karida bara ur'. What does that mean?"

"Karida bara ur…" repeated Zelda, "Karida is 'bird'. Bara is 'to strike'. Ur makes the sentence negative… 'Don't hit the bird'? Why would a machine care what I do to a bird? This is ludicrous! Unacceptable! I am a princess of Hyrule, not some pack animal to be chained and dragged through the mud!"

"Don't think 'princess' means much where they come from," said Gwen. The pirate was shuffling along glumly behind the robot that led her, her spirit still noticeably dampened by the loss of Scarlett. Zelda had made a point of not replying when the older girl spoke to her, but she was so flustered by the encounter with the raven that she forgot she was still trying to be mad at Gwen.

"Where _do _they come from though?" said Zelda, "I have never seen anything like them in my life!"

"I think we'll be finding out soon," said Zig, nodding in the direction they were traveling. Up ahead, there was a break in the canopy of brittle, dead trees. Beyond they could see the black wall of the dead city rising from the ground like an ancient monolith. The stones were black with soot and it looked as though the entire structure had endured a massive fire. The gates were tarnished, but they appeared undamaged by the passage of time, which caused Link to wonder at what metal they might be made of. Certainly iron would have given way to rust over the course of several thousand years, but the scorching on the surface was all the damage that had been done to the giant metal doorway.

More startling than the blackened gates of the ancient metropolis were its denizens, however. They stalked the tops of the walls, their shadows cast long and menacing by the sickly green glow of eldritch stones set into the cyclopean brick. They were not the hordes of undead Link and his companions had expected. Cresting the ramparts and clutching the remnants of ancient flagpoles were thousands upon thousands of ravens. The birds watched with tilted heads and clicking beaks, keeping their eyes on the travelers, even as they preened and ruffled their obsidian feathers.

"There are so many!" gasped Zelda.

"I hope they don't dive on us," said Link, "I don't think I could keep from swatting a couple if that many all came at me at once."

"They must keep them here," said Zig, "Like a sacred animal. Curious, but not unheard of. I've heard of a town far to the West where it's illegal to kill cats. Perhaps these little machines are the stewards of this ancient city, and perhaps it is against their laws to kill ravens?"

"Quite a supposition!" exclaimed Zelda, "But what kind of people worship ravens?"

"What kind worship cats?" said Zig, "Whoever the people were I doubt they are around to ask. I shudder to think what it will mean for us going in there unarmed. If the rumors are true, beyond this wall the streets of this city crawl with re-dead."

"If the city is so dangerous, how have our enigmatic little capturers faired so well?" said Zelda, "Why would the re-dead not destroy them?"

"Re-dead feed on the living," said Zig, "They probably wouldn't even recognize these machines as a threat."

"Look," said Link, "The gate is moving!"

The sound of turning gears and reeling chains echoed from within the ancient wall. The blackened gate began to swing open, its massive doors scraping across the rough stone. A glare of sickly, green illumination erupted from the crack in the doorway, revealing a horrifying image of the ghoulish necropolis beyond.

The streets were of a kind of stone unfamiliar to them. The buildings within were angular and symmetric, their roofs crowned with intricate spires and onion minarets, indicative of a sophistication of architectural knowledge most curious considering their incredible age. The smoothly paved roads were lined with tall black lamps, glowing green gemstones set into their crowns. Steam drifted from gutters, causing a ghostly mist to permeate the dank air, and limiting vision down the street. In the distance, the lamps became twinkling stars of eldritch green, lost in the murky fog. Between the wayward emerald stars, the terrible silhouettes of shambling things were stalking, Hylianoid in shape but unmistakably inhuman in their broken, limping gait.

"What are those?" said Link, stupidly.

"Shh!" hissed Zig, "Re-dead…"

The little robots, to Link and his companion's horror, forced them through the black gates, and the massive chains began to reel, slowly sliding the monolithic doorway shut behind them. Zelda protested, dragging her heels in the dirt and pulling against the insistence of the jailors, but it was no use. The little machines were powerful, and it was as if a whole herd of horses was pulling her along. The shadowy figures drew nearer, their horrific features coming into clearer view as the green lamps pierced the drifting mists. They were the dehydrated, emaciated, desiccated husks of people. Their eyes were sunken and hollow, skin leathery and sun-dried. Their mouths were perpetual grins, yellowed teeth standing like rows of tombstones, peeking from the puckered lips, as brittle and wrinkled as dead leaves. Somewhere a scream echoed into the night, yet none mistook it for having come from a mortal tongue.

"Avoid their eyes," said Zig, his gaze snapping down to his feet, "They don't see like regular people. If you don't make eye contact, they might ignore you."

Zelda shut her eyes, whimpering pathetically as she stumbled on through the nightmare city. Zig and Gwen watched their feet, but Link could not tear himself away from the scene before him. He tried not to look at the horrible, lifeless faces of the re-dead. Instead, he focused on the city, the twinkling green lights, and the odd blackened stones. Balconies with wispy, curled balustrades crowned dark gable roofs. Menacing gargoyles peered from high perches, with wings like hawks and beaks like obsidian axe-blades. Ravens dominated the rooftops, and many of the buildings were slickened and stained white with their excrement. Link was watching the wily birds leap about and squawk as a fearsome gale tore through the dark streets.

The mists rose and swirled into little whirlwinds, and some of the ravens allowed it to lift them into the sky. They flocked between the towers and gables, soaring out over the heart of the city, and as they did the whistling midnight wind tore a swath in the obscuring mists. Suddenly, Link caught a glimpse of the heart of the city, far and away down the zombie-ridden thoroughfare. In the distance, a tower like a blackened spike pointed up to heaven, its jagged minarets reaching to the sky like an upturned dagger. Veins of green light ran from its base to its blasphemous crown, whereupon shone a sickly emerald star, like a lighthouse shining over the sea of dead buildings below, an ominous beacon of evil light at the center of the dark and silent necropolis. At first, Link thought there were clouds of black smoke whirling around the spire, but as he watched the flight of birds take wing to join their brethren the truth became clear: thousands of ravens circled the tower, flocking in crowds innumerable, perching upon the jagged peaks of the spire, and flitting around the green light like moths around a flame.

"I think I saw it!" cried Link.

"Link!" snapped Zelda, "You should keep your eyes shut! I do not know what I would do if one of those horrible re-dead were to harm you."

"No, Zelda, you don't understand," said Link, "The temple, I saw it! I'm sure I did! It was like a big tower with a glowing green light at the top. There were more birds, too. A lot more…"

Gwen snorted indignantly. "Great, but that doesn't really change anything. We already know where the temple is- at the center of the city. That doesn't get us out of our chains though."

Link didn't reply to Gwen. There didn't seem to be anything to say. The pirate's negativity was beginning to wear on him, but he shrugged it off. He couldn't really blame her for being upset. They went along, down narrow streets and alleys, under glowing lights and through swirling mists, past the shambling zombies. Link was unable to resist his curiosity, and kept a vigil on the creatures as they went past. He had, of course, heard many times about the death gaze of the re-dead. It was a legend so commonly known; many parents used it as a tactic to frighten their children into behaving properly. There was something different about these re-dead, though, compared to what Link had become accustomed to hearing.

For one thing, they didn't seem interested in the group of them at all. Zig had said that the re-dead may ignore them if they avoided eye contact, but as Link watched the zombies moving all around them he noticed that they seemed quite preoccupied with their own business to make any eye contact with him. In fact, the way that the things moved was disturbingly purposeful, if awkward and clumsy. He began to take closer care to observe the things, leaning to peer in windows and around corners as opportunity allowed with the little Robots leading him. He saw things he did not expect to see.

All around, the shambling re-dead were lurching through doors, leaning on countertops, crossing streets and meeting at intersections where they would stop and regard one another with amiable groans. One seemed to be sweeping the street in front of a shop, though his broom was invisible. Another was seated on a bench with his legs crossed casually, his arms held out in front of him with the fingers cupped as if holding a paper. His hollow eyes scanned the blank air intently, ticking along one way and then snapping back the other like a garden sprinkler. Everywhere around them the zombies were shuffling all about, going about their day as if they were just regular folk living in any urban city. They scrubbed dirty windows with invisible sponges, traded non-existent drink for intangible coin, and groomed the manes of absent horses, stroking empty air with brushes made of make-believe. It was as if death had forgotten to tell their bodies to stop living, and they carried out the same daily grind as they ever had, and ever would for another thousand years if given the chance.

"You guys," said Link, "Look."

"Link," pleaded Zelda, "Close your eyes, please. It's too dangerous!"

"But I don't think it is," said Link, "These re-dead… they're acting strangely…"

Zig was the first to brave a glance. He lifted his head, his wise old eyes surveying the street around him with no small amount of wonder.

"Do you see?" asked Link, watching the pirate drink in his strange surroundings.

"I do," said Zig, "But I almost don't believe it. They're acting… alive!"

Curiosity got the better of Gwen and Zelda, and they too opened their eyes to see the strange zombies. The sight was so strange and marvelous, for a long while they could only watch in silent amazement as the re-dead went about their peculiar business. Here was a zombie beating dust out of an invisible rug with an equally unseen rod. There was a group of morbid little children playing in a grim parody of ring-around-the-rosie. A matriarchal zombie was rocking in a chair nearby, her sunken eyes glancing from the merry children to the fictional knitting project she was apparently cradling in her lap.

"What sort of sorcery is this?" gasped Zelda, her delicate features twisted into an appalled grimace, "It is as if they are completely unaware that they are dead!"

"I can't explain it," said Zig, "but clearly there is more to this place than it seems. Re-dead are mindless; their only motivation is to drain life. Performing complex tasks should be entirely beyond them. I fear that only very dark magic could cause them to behave in this manner."

"Dark magic?" said Zelda, "I do not understand though. What purpose could this kind of morbidity serve to any magician? These creatures are merely… well they are just doing regular things. Look! That one is trying to play a flute! This hardly seems like it is getting anything done for anyone."

"Your guess is as good as mine, child," said Zig, "All I can say with any certainty is that this is not normal behavior for re-dead."

"You can say that again," said Link, observing as a group of nearby zombies chatted with one another, gesturing casually as they traded guttural grunts and meaningless exclamations.

The odd zombies were a palpable curiosity, but in the absence of answers and the apparent lack of danger presented by the peculiar post-mortems the group's speculations soon gave way to silence. Weariness set in, and Link was beginning to become aware of the sore feeling in his feet, and the dull ache radiating from the joints of his arms and legs. His stomach grumbled at him, and he thought about the meager rations in Scarlett's bag, which the little robots had relieved them of. He wondered darkly about whether or not the little tyrants would consider the need to feed their prisoners. He imagined a secret prison, full of the withered and malnourished remains of a thousand captives who had had the same misfortune before him, their bones his deathbed to waste away on as the hours crept along and crumbled away to starvation and dehydration sickness. Or perhaps there would be no rest in death, either. Perhaps they were already doomed to wander the lifeless streets as shambling zombies, gravely unaware of the futility of their daily doings, unknown to any save the midnight ravens.

Link's mind was full of exhaustion, misery and dread, and by the time the little robots led them under the cover of a low stone roof he was feeling delirious from the exertion of the past hours. It had to be well past midnight, perhaps even near dawn, and he hadn't slept since they had left Diamondhearth. The Goron city seemed like a distant memory, and he would have believed that the prior morning had been weeks ago. His weary mind fantasized whimsically about waking up in some feathery bed deep underground, the morbid and leathery faces of the shambling zombies traded for the bright and beaming smiles of Toro and Doro.

The city disappeared, and they found themselves in the low-ceilinged hall of some squat stone building. More of the odd glowing stones lined the corners of the walls, and the grey-black stones were lit with a pale green luminescence. There were more robots in this building, zipping this way and that along the silent hallways, busy with tasks of their own. They paid no attention to Link and his friends.

They were led through several corridors, past rooms lined with ashes and soot and the crumbled remains of ancient furniture. Link had never seen an office before, but even if he had there was nothing present to indicate that that was what this had been. It wasn't until they arrived at the back of the little building and ushered through a metal door into a room lined with narrow jail cells that Link was sure of the function of the building they had entered.

"This must be like a watch post," said the boy, "It's just like the one in the city, with the cells in the back past where all the guards work. I stayed in one the night they branded my hand."

They were separated into individual cells. Link was relieved to see that there were no leftover remains on the floor, and no evidence of any prior prisoners. The only exception was one cell in the far corner, where a single re-dead reclined against the wall in a leisurely position. It did not acknowledge them as the little robot forced them each into their cells.

Zelda was jailed across the aisle from Link, Gwen next to her, and Zig was in the cell next to Link's. There were two more empty cells between Zig's and the one which held the solitary re-dead. The only way in, the solid metal door which was composed of the same curious alloy as the city gate, was nearest Link's cell, although once it closed he was quite sure no power he possessed would open it. More eldritch stones served as lighting, but on Zelda's side of the room each cell had a single window, too tiny for a person to fit through and set uncommonly close to the ceiling, thick bars rending them impassable for anything aside from air and water.

Their cell doors were slammed shut, and one of the little robots lifted its arm into the air, making a flourishing gesture. A metal click came in reply, and the doors were suddenly locked. Satisfied that their prisoners were secure, the little robots filed out of the room one by one, the heavy metal door closing behind the last one with a slam. There was the sound of gears grinding, and a deep chunking sound informed them that their prison was sealed.

"What do we do now?" said Zelda, grasping the bars and pulling uselessly on the door.

"There's nothing to be done," said Zig, taking a seat on the floor with his legs crossed. He closed his eyes, resting his elbows on his knees in a meditative fashion, "For now we should get some rest. We can worry about our next move in the morning."

"I am not sure that I can sleep," said Zelda, flopping down on the floor.

There was a long and pregnant silence as they sat in the dreary jail, nothing but the cool stone floor to comfort them. Link felt drowsy, but he could not find a comfortable way to lie upon the unforgiving ground. Finally, Zelda spoke up again.

"Zig," said the princess.

"Yes, Zelda," said the pirate, without opening his eyes.

"Do you know any more stories about the Shiekah?" said Zelda, "Like the one you told us about Ruka and Ryll?"

"I do," said Zig, smiling slyly, despite himself, "Would you like to hear one?"

"Please," said Zelda.

The pirate cleared his throat, straightened out his back, and prepared to speak. Link stretched out on his back, letting his legs relax, and kicked off his boots to let his battered feet breath. The cool air felt refreshing, and he was relieved to be rid of the soggy sensation of mud seeping around his ankles. He closed his eyes, and focused on the low, soothing thrum of Zig's voice.

"This is the story of the Shiekah's flight from Hyrule and the beginning of the Gerudo War," began the pirate, "The tragedy of Ryll and Ruka had befallen the Shiekah, and the King had pronounced the exile of all the Shiekah from Hyrule's fields. The procession from Hyrule castle was a mile long. There had scarcely been time to pack the essentials of daily life, and many citizens of Castle Town had begun to refuse service to any person of Shiekah descent. Families were rendered homeless, and there was no place to bring them. Even Kakariko, the village which had been founded by the Shiekah centuries before, had shut its gates to the new refugees. Indeed, all of Hyrule was shut to our people. And, to make matters worse, the Gerudo had begun tirelessly hunting for Shiekah warriors at the demand of their King, his actions spurred on by a need for vengeance for the death of his daughter, the princess Ruka. Ryll's brother, Kull, was among the highest ranks of the Shiekah who set out from castle town, but already dissent was growing among the upheaved people. Many questioned Kull's loyalty and the legitimacy of his family as military leaders among the shadow tribe. In one of the many gypsy camps which dotted the plains of Hyrule those nights a rare occurrence could be seen. A Shiekah counsel was to be held, with each of the heads of every Shiekah family attending, and Impa the Matriarch to oversee the procession. The issue at hand: where the Shiekah would make their new home and what would be done with Kull and his family.

"Many potential solutions were presented for the problem of where the Shiekah would live. Many wanted to brave the Eastern Mountains, taking the river passage South of Kakariko and passing near the realm of the amiable Zoras. This route would take them far away from the Gerudo conflict, and buy them distance from the attention of the Hylian military, as most of those forces would surely be deployed to the West in the coming months. However, passage through the mountains would be nearly impossible without the gathering of new resources which could sustain them on that difficult journey. The Zora had little to fear from the elements, and rarely ventured from the safety of their domain, so even if the gentle fish-men agreed to help them, there was little they could provide in the way of equipment suitable for crossing the mountains. The Gorons could have proven more helpful, but many Shiekah families were wary of venturing too close to Kakariko, where the presence of the Castle Guard could still be felt. In those days, there was no other way to scale the sheer cliffs of Death Mountain, and so asking the Goron's for aid was out of the question.

"To the south, across the clear waters of Lake Hylia, the wilderness was thick and untamed, and though there were rumors of foreign kingdoms somewhere far beyond the endless jungle canopies, the Shiekah would be nearly as helpless to sustain themselves in such an environment as they would be in the mountains. Sure, some Shiekah knew how to live off the land, and many were excellent hunters and trackers, but among the procession were children and the elderly and the likelihood that they would survive even one winter in the unknown forests was slim.

"Indeed, the options available to the Shiekah were grim, and none could seem to come to any agreement on how best to handle the problem of their sudden transient state. However, there was an issue that seemed undeniable among the combative murmurs of the frightened people: Justice must be done unto the house of Ryll, for it was that traitor who had caused their plight, and nearly every voice amongst the clan leaders cried for more blood to atone for it.

"If things had been left to happen as they would, Kull and his family may have been executed on the spot, or shunned from the Shiekah clan all together, which was just as good as a death sentence considering the state of the world at the time. It was by the wisdom of old Impa, the Matriarch, that Kull found his redemption, and it was through the quest she bequeathed him that the Shiekah would find their salvation.

"'There are many among you who cry for justice and crave blood spilt to atone for the shame this family has brought upon our tribe,' said the old Matriarch, 'but I ask you: when Ryll's brother and father and sisters and mother all lie dead at your feet, will you not still hunger? Will you not still feel the biting cold? Will you not still tremble as you long for a roof over your head, and a pillow beneath it? Let us make our punishment into our salvation, and let us bring redemption on the House of Ryll in a way that might put right the wrongs which have been done unto us. We shall send Kull, Ryll's own brother, away this night, and he shall be charged with finding a safe realm for the Shiekah to call home. We will send him, and we will send other scouts, and each one shall have that same task. However, for Kull it will be more than just a quest, because for him his home shall be at stake not once but twice. If Kull should not return to us with the answer to our plight, then the House of Ryll shall be forever cast out from the Shiekah. Either way, the sins of Ryll will have been punished, and justice will have been served for the Shiekah, and besides we might find an answer to our more pressing problem of finding asylum in a world which has turned its back on our kind. I feel this serves the purpose of the Shiekah more completely than an execution or a further exile, which would only serve to make us mirrors of the same tyranny which saw us refugees to begin with.'

"This roused a fire of hope in the hearts of the Shiekah, and a cry went up among them to follow old Impa's plan. Kull was beside himself, shocked to find a sword being thrust into his hand, and an adventuring pack strapped to his back. He had been miserable since the death of his brother, an event which he had never foreseen the fateful night he had exposed his sibling's dark secret. He was sure that he was going to die that night, felled by the executioner, just as his brother had been. Instead, the wise Matriarch had twisted her words in such a marvelous way, and now he was being led out of the camp on a snow-white warhorse, to cries of affirmation and enthusiasm, and hopeful faces wishing him luck on his endeavor.

"He would have a month to accomplish this seemingly impossible task, and though he was thankful for a chance to secure his family's place amongst their kin, he was conflicted about his own survival. The guilt he felt for the fallen Ryll, and the impossibility of the task before him, were like storm clouds hanging heavy over his head. He wandered for the first day, circling the edges of Hyrule field, and going to and fro across the hills, trying to find some sense of direction. Finally, he came to the conclusion that the passage over the mountains was the most sensible idea that had been discussed, and he resolved to start there.

"For days, Kull traveled over the Eastern Mountains, scrounging for food and water, and scouting the ridges and valleys for someplace suitable to bring his Shiekah brethren. He found many curious and secret places, and faced many dangers on this journey, but each valley and each peak lacked certain qualities he knew a refuge for the Shiekah would need. Either the water was too far, or there was no defensible position, or there was no cover from the elements. In fact, one popular legend says that Kull almost headed back to lead the Shiekah to a meadow of pristine beauty near a fresh stream which was safe to drink from; until he learned that the ground was rife with bombflower saplings and could have easily killed every one of them if they had tried to build upon it.

"He had been travelling for two weeks when he came to the distant lands on the far side of the Eastern Range- those same windswept plains where we purchased horses when we first set out for Kakariko, if you recall. Those alien fields were sparse and barren by comparison to lush Hyrule, and Kull wondered that any could survive in such a wasteland, but he saw no recourse and resolved to push on, knowing that returning would only mean embracing a less noble demise than he would face on the open plains. For days, he wandered the wasteland, until his waterskin was dry and his stomach pained him to the point where his legs could no longer carry him. Kull succumbed to the fever of dehydration, and fell unconscious upon his steed. He very nearly died, but the Goddesses had other plans.

"The Gigguri, the tribal easterners who wear strange bones in their septum's and whose ear-lobes hang low, draped with odd jewels which dangle near their shoulders, found the dying Kull astride his horse, dangling limply from his stirrups. It is unclear whether portent or prophecy or mere sympathy motivated them, but the savages saw fit to rescue the boy, and over a period of days he was restored to health. When he awoke, he found himself amongst a people he was wholly unprepared for. Their language was strange and rough in his ears, and their scant and shameless dress unnerving to him, yet the tribesmen were kind and jovial to him, and he had learned enough of strange cultures not to question their unlikely hospitality. He partook of their strange foods and stranger drink, and accepted the medicines of their shaman with gracious humility. It was not until night fell on those barren lands, and he observed the phase of the rising moon, that he understood the desperation of his position. In his ailed wanderings, he had wasted many days! Less than a week separated him from his deadline, and that was not even enough time to make the long ride back to Hyrule, even if he found the unlikely sanctuary his people sought.

"He pleaded most desperately with the Gigguri, though he knew his words held no import for them. They smiled enigmatically at his frantic gestures and cooed soothingly at him with words which held no meaning in his ears. Despair fell hard upon Kull, and he at once wished that he had been left to die of thirst and unawares of his utter failure. His mind could only dwell on lost Hyrule, and the family he had failed twice, and the brother he had killed with another man's hands. Practically he had drawn his dagger upon his own heart, and would have struck himself down to redeem what little honor he perceived remained within him, but again, the Goddesses had another plan for Kull.

"An elder shaman, wizened and mute, came to Kull and took his hand. The boy was weak and spiritless, and it mattered not to him whither he would be led. The old shaman took him out into the wastes, and the moon sunk low over the horizon as they crossed that barren land for hours upon hours. The shaman never spoke, and the boy never questioned him. There was no hope within him, and he cared not what fate the old man might bring him to.

"At last, the glory of the sun crested the rocky wastes once more, and the light shone upon a boulder of goliath proportions, the silhouette of which revealed an archaic altar of impossible construction upon its zenith. The standing stones, arranged in a circle, and stacked upon one another in arrangements reminiscent of ancient runes, were the apparent destination of their journey. Horror gripped Kull, and at once he had the impression that the old shaman meant to bring him up on that ancient dais and sacrifice him to some blasphemous god unknown to any who spoke the common tongue.

"Kull paused and contemplated the terror before him as the wizened old shaman gestured for him to follow up the steep face of the giant boulder. Kull cast his gaze back only once to the distant purple mountains, and longed for the green fields of faraway Hyrule, and the life he could never return to. What escape could there be? If death would come to claim him, he would meet it as a proud Shiekah. He steeled himself against the horror, and followed the old shaman high upon the rock.

"At the center of the circle of standing stones, there rested a podium, overgrown with moss and smeared with dirt. The shaman approached it, and beckoned Kull to come closer. He scorned his reluctance, drove out his fear, and stepped to the old man. The shaman slipped a bone-carved dagger from the loop on his belt, and brandished the weapon. Kull closed his eyes tight, and thought of home.

"But the plunge of that dagger never came. Scraping and scratching told Kull that he was not to die in that place, and when he opened his eyes again he saw that the old shaman was using the blade to clean the moss and dirt off the face of the ancient podium. The young Shiekah leaned closer, watching in wonder as the thick crust of lichen gave way to strange and archaic hieroglyphs.

"On the face of the pedestal was the image of a horn-billed bird, its lofty wings outstretched in prideful flight. It was an image he knew, although its placement and antiquity were bizarre to him. This was the symbol from which all Hylian crests are derivative, the primordial predecessor to the iconic winged and taloned Tri-Force of Hyrule. Kull's wide eyes turned on the old shaman, and the mute laid his hand upon the podium and then upon his own throat.

"Kull no longer needed explanations. Any Shiekah knew what magic lived in such forgotten relics. He laid his hand upon the podium, and in his throat he summoned the ancient and secret intonations of the sacred song of Hyrule, the gate key which is only borne by those whose aims align with the Goddesses and their will.

"At once, the podium erupted with that purifying blue light, and it shot like a beam of pure magic into the endless sky. An eagle-cry rose out of the West, and when Kull looked to those homeward skies he saw the wings of crimson angels descending from some heavenly loft. They dived towards him, and as they neared, he saw that they were not angels, but great birds the size of horses with horn bills and proud and ornate wings.

"The birds descended all around him, and formed a triangle with him at the center. He regarded the regal beasts with childlike wonder, and felt the warmth of their presence as they watched him with bright, intelligent eyes. One bent low, and offered Kull its wing. Dumbfounded, the boy looked to the Shaman, who silently gestured him onward. Kull mounted the mighty bird, and with a tremendous beat of its might wings it took to the open sky, its companions close on the wing.

"It was on the very last evening of the month which Kull had been allotted for his quest that the innumerable flock descended on the wayward gypsy camps of the homeless Shiekah, Kull astride a crimson bird which led the flight. In hurried and excited tones, he told Impa and her people of the sky-bound, ancient islands which time had forgotten, but hung eternally over Hyrule just beyond the scope of mortal eyes, and ever hidden by the wistful clouds. So the line of Ryll redeemed its blood, and on that eve the Shiekah made their exodus to Sacred Skyloft, ancient bastion of the Goddess Hylia herself, where our proud people have dwelt amongst the feathered guardians of old Hyrule ever since. Or so the legend goes."

That was old Zig's story, and it may have struck a very significant chord with young Link, had he not drifted off to sleep well before it had reached its end.


	24. Lysander

Chapter 24

The lucid dreamer walks a dangerous line between reality and fiction. If we can take control, take action voluntarily, within that unconscious unreality that exists inside our dreaming minds, then the fuzzy haze of dreaming gives way to the more palpable senses which most of us associate only with the literal and the three-dimensional. Dreams are made up of feeling, thought, ideas, and therefore are always composed more of the impression of a thing than the actual physical substance. Once the dreaming mind gains awareness within dreams to the point that those fluctuating shadows of ideas and fledgling thoughts become congruous with the tangible then the certainty of dreams being mere illusion becomes _uncertain. _The irony of this is that through our own awareness of the dreaming state we give credibility to the dream itself, thereby transcending the dream's intangible nature through the mere act of lucid observation. It is the proverbial Schrödinger's Cat- until observed lucidly; the dream both does and does not exist. Once observed lucidly, it becomes the choice of the dreamer to determine what is and isn't real. However, if a dream can be made into a reality, that posits the question of what might become of the reality which had been left behind in favor of the dream? It stands to reason that the transition can be applied both directions, which opens a myriad of avenues of thought which would appeal to even the most casual existentialist in exciting and exotic ways.

Up until that point, Link had only entered the Dreamworld by choice, save for the time he had been cursed by Nyarlath in the castle dungeon. When he laid himself down to sleep at night he had still enjoyed the normal tranquility of everyday dreaming. He was, therefore, very surprised to find himself standing over himself, watching lucidly as he slumbered quite naturally upon the stone floor of the little jail. He had drifted off listening to Zig's story, his boots discarded near the bars of his cell, and his hands folded behind his head to cushion it from the harsh stone floor.

"You're alive, aren't you?"

The unexpected voice startled him. He whirled around, scanning the empty cells for a source. Peculiarly, he saw no sign of the shades of Zelda and the others, as he had in the other incarnations of the Dreamworld. Yet he was not alone in the little jail. One other person occupied the cell which had, in the Waking World, contained the single zombified resident of the lonely little prison. It was not a re-dead, but a man, short and meek, with a vest of tarnished leather, and a wide-brimmed hat which hung down in front of his eyes. He was lounging in the corner of his cell, much in the manner the solitary re-dead had, his elbow hung casually on his one bent knee.

"Were you talking to me?" replied Link.

"Do you see anyone else around?" said the man, without looking up at him. The voice was nasal and contained a singular, whining quality. It reminded Link of the high-pitched squeaking of a mouse, molded comically into language.

"Who are you?" said Link, taking a few steps closer, so he could peer through the bars at the dark little man.

The hat brim did not so much as quiver, and Link could not see the mouth of the speaker as he made another whining utterance from the shade of his slumped posture, "I am Lysander, the famous bard, though I don't expect you would have heard of me. I have been in this jail cell for the past ten thousand years."

"That's impossible," said Link, unable to resist cracking a stupid grin, "You can't have possibly been here for ten thousand years. No one can live that long."

"Impossible?" said Lysander, and though he still did not lift his eyes to meet Link's, the boy could feel the mocking demeanor of the self-proclaimed bard as he went on, "Curious that one who walks among the dead and the dreaming as freely as a wolf walks among sheep should be so closed minded, using words like impossible. After all, possibility is wholly relative to your perspective. Alas, you are partially correct; I have not lived ten thousand years. Indeed, it would be more accurate to surmise that I have not lived _in _ten thousand years, that ten thousand long years have I _not lived _within the confines of this claustrophobic cell, and that you are my first company in as much time."

"What are you talking about?" said Link, beginning to feel somewhat off put by the stranger. It was something in his enigmatic and flowery mode of speech, and the lilting whinny of his squeaking voice that made Link feel as though he would rather not have to speak to the bard at all. However, there was no one else around, and Link had questions that needed answering.

"Isn't it plain enough to paint on?" said Lysander, "I've gone out with my boots on, rode a league on the pale horse, paid for my last ferry ride, though I haven't thus far been able to redeem my ticket."

"Wait a minute," said Link, an inkling of understanding kindling in his mind, which was not accustomed to deciphering euphemisms or unraveling colorful metaphors, "Are you trying to say that you're…"

"Dead?" said Lysander, "As a doornail, I believe is the cliché, although I have never met any sort of nail that seemed particularly alive, door related or otherwise."

"So you're a ghost then, or what?" said Link, skeptically.

"Not precisely," replied Lysander, "Ah, to be a poe, and take my very name from the melancholy nature of prose and pentameter, and drift most freely from cemetery to cemetery to bask in the radiant despair of those who still live and breathe. Even that sort of anguish seems a savory thing when looked upon from the prison of my multi-millennial confinement. Ghost I am not, though I count myself among the dead, I lack that singular incorporeal quality which is enjoyed by the less world-bound of the posthumous."

"You aren't telling me that you are the re-dead I saw in that cell in the Waking World, are you?" said Link. His eyes narrowed suspiciously at the stranger.

"O! Cruel fate! Alack, alas, and alay!" wailed the bard, "I am too consumed by my own sorrow, I can scarcely form the words, but I must tell thee that there is truth in thine supposition. I am that same wretched creature you saw here in this very spot in the world that people call 'awake'. If you have seen that dismal place, then I should make a supposition of mine own and spake it thusly: You have seen others, and many of them. They go about day by day in blissful ignorance, never suspecting the futility of their damned existence. I alone bear that burden, and so my torment is made ten thousand fold of theirs, once for each monotonous year so spent. They pay me no heed, and do not know the reality of their fate. What is reality though? Who's to say if the real world lies here or there or anywhere at all? If I were not cursed with the awareness of my grim position, I would probably be content much the same as they. I dare not speculate what similar ignorance might shield the minds of the living and conscious from equally incomprehensible horrors lurking on the outskirts of 'reality'."

"I'm not so sure I understand," said Link, his head spinning with the unnecessary complexity of the bard's squeaking monologues. Link had thought that Zelda spoke eloquently, but Lysander seemed so bent on flexing his lexicon that his speech became a labyrinthine parody of eloquence, serving more to confuse the boy than to convey meaning. He hazarded a guess: "Are you saying that all of the re-dead think they are alive? That they are somehow trapped here?"

"I could not have said it better!" replied Lysander. Link was sure that this was true.

"I saw them," said Link, reflecting on the horde of bizarre zombies and the odd way they had pantomimed the everyday behaviors of urban folk, "But what caused this? How did they become like that? And why are you any different?"

"That is a tragic tale," said the bard, and finally the wobbly brim of his wide hat shifted upwards, and Link saw his gaunt and sallow face, its ruddy sockets drooping in the manner of a basset hound. Brown irises shimmered from the sunken orbits, and the whole effect of Lysander's face was one of a man nearly in tears.

He went on, "The cause is a difficult thing to place. Perhaps the best thing to attribute their pitiable state to is decadence and pride. Once this was a great city, and therefore it is a comfortable delusion for its denizens to believe in its enduring greatness. How? I do not pretend to understand the means, for the nature of their perpetrator defies understanding in the most hopeless of ways. Why am I different? Why is anyone what they are? If you mean to ask how I came to be different, for I was not always so, then I must tell you that I have always been a dreamer of some considerable proficiency. My father often criticized me for being slothful, but to dream is to exercise the mind and the soul! Some of the greatest works of authorship that have ever been transcribed were born in dreams. Thus, after a time I became instinctively savvy to the unnatural existence I and my contemporaries were leading. At first it was mere suspicion, and if I could I would turn back these ten thousand years and leave my curiosity un-satiated, but too often does the lure of the unknown and the mysterious win out over the security of the mundane and the familiar. To put it briefly, I stole a glance behind the veil, and since then I have been unable to ignore what previously was beyond my scope of perception, and with the expanding of my perspective I have become eternally and miserably aware of what I really am, and what this city really is."

"Who would do something like that to an entire city? And why?" said Link, "It doesn't make sense. What does anyone get out of it?"

"It was meant to be a source of power," said Lysander, "When the Dream Engine was built it was claimed to be revolutionary; a powerful stride forward for the evolution of industry and technology. They said it would operate inexhaustibly, with the power of a million coal furnaces. For a time, it seemed to work, but it was never meant to be. Too proud were the people of Kadath- they knew not how dark the energies were that they sought to command! It was doomed from the start, though pride had blinded all those who could have stopped it. By the time I noticed something was wrong it was too late, the damage had been done. Even if the process could be reversed now, it would not save the people of this city. The best they could hope for is peace in death."

"What is a dream engine?"

"A rare piece of magical technology. It siphons magic off the souls of the dead or the dreaming, converting it to physical energy, or so I've come to understand. On a smaller scale, many useful feats can be accomplished with the use of such a device. For example, a dream engine could be used by a powerful magician to communicate with the dead directly. It would simply require that some major component of the physical remains be attached to the device… the brain, the heart or the skeleton usually."

Link was suddenly reminded of the peculiar spirit of Jabu-Jabu which had guided him in the depths of the Temple of the Mind, and the shining eldritch green veins which ran along the walls and ceilings of the dark and cavernous passages of that aquatic dungeon. He felt foolish for not noticing the similarities immediately upon seeing the ghastly green glow of the lamps which lined the streets of long-dead Kadath. However, Jabu-Jabu had not seemed dangerous in the slightest. There had to be more to it. Link pressed the issue,

"I think I may have come across a machine like that before," said Link, "But it didn't seem dangerous to me. For one thing, there wasn't an army of zombies surrounding it. What is the difference here?"

The bard tilted his head to the side in a contemplative fashion, sighing audibly as he allowed his mind to mull over the question. At last he said, "I think it could best be understood as a problem of scope. Mortal souls are ill fitted to endure the rigors of a dream engine. It drains some of the physical substance which ties the mortal to the living world each time the engine is used. Therefore, after a few uses, the power provided by a mortal soul is used up, and further contact becomes impossible. However, in the case of a less consumable being, a fairy or a nature spirit or a dragon, etcetera, the power source is more potent. There are still limitations, but even the most mundane of fairy folk could fuel a small dream engine for a considerable amount of time before its natural magic was exhausted. In the case of Kadath, an attempt was made to harness a spirit far greater than has been tried before or since."

"What sort of spirit?"

"One beyond understanding, yours or mine. Something so alien as to be wholly unrecognizable and so powerful as to be godlike in its potency." The gaunt cheeks and dark eyes of old Lysander grew grim and serious and gone was the wistful and frivolous melancholy of his disposition. There was something else there now, something darker and more intense.

He held Link's gaze in his own and said, "He- _it_ –is one and many, and knows no true name, though it borrows thousands. I have known it to be sometimes Vaati called, or Aghanim who rent the throne of Hyrule, or Ganondorf the King of Thieves, who once rode a black horse out of the West and brought with him seven years of pestilence, or Demon King, whose name is Death and we in Kadath dare not speak, but none of these is truer than a reflection in a mirror, and none represent but a small fraction of the whole. Here it once was Nyarlathotep, he who is the Crawling Chaos and the Haunter of the Dark, the Lord of the Desert and the Black Pharaoh of the West, but known first as Nyarlathotep though this name holds no more meaning than the rest."

"How do you know of Hyrule if you have been in here for ten thousand years?" replied Link, distracted by the sudden mention of his native land so far away.

"The ravens," said Lysander, regaining his bland melancholy, "They are _his. _They are _him. _Just another facet of the Legion. They whisper to me through the window, and mock me with maddening news of the world beyond the wall. I know much, and yet I know little. Ten times has proud Hyrule come near to death, and ten times have I heard only the evil news, yet the world turns in spite, and though the black ravens mock I know that they must never have won entirely."

"There is an evil wizard that I've met named Nyarlath. He took the throne of Hyrule from the Royal Family, and I've been trying to help them get it back, but Nyarlathe… Nyarlatho… Nya…"

"Nyarlathotep-"

"Nyarlathotep, right, thanks," said Link, "I haven't heard that name before. Do you think they are the same person?"

"It is possible that the wizard you speak of is a facet of Nyarlathotep, as many such magicians are, but not the _true _Nyarlathotep. The potency of the beast is tapered by its prison in the Dream Engine, and the projections which it creates lack the substance of the original. They are but mere dreams; shades of the real beast, which still remains trapped here at the center of long-dead Kadath. As I have said, such reflections of the true evil have walked the world in many different forms, but never have they been aware of their true nature. It is most curious that one of them should choose to take a name so derivative of their progenitor. I would hazard to guess that it is not mere coincidence."

"This is all really confusing," said Link, "How can they be him and not be him at the same time? Where is this Nyarlathotep?"

"Dead and dreaming in the blasphemous tower at the heart of corrupted Kadath," replied the bard, "Yet it has been said: 'That is not dead which can eternal lie, and with strange eons even death may die.' So grim and so true… I would that it was mine, but alas the prose comes to me from the tongues of the foul ravens, and I know not from whose pockets they plucked so fine a trinket."

"I think I have to see this Nyarlathotep for myself. I have a few questions to ask him," resolved the boy, bravely thumping his chest with a closed fist, "I don't care what kind of a monster he is. I have to help my friends get out of this place, and if he's in charge, then he's the one I need to talk to."

"If you gain an audience with Nyarlathotep it will not be by your choice, it will be by _his_," warned Lysander. The bard pulled himself to his feet, using the bars of his cell to brace himself. He seemed week, and his legs trembled beneath him precariously, so that Link thought he would crumple before him like a paper doll. He did not fall, however. He took two shuffling steps towards Link, pressing his face between the bars which divided them, and his eyes were wild and full of madness as he said, "Seek not the Crawling Chaos. Stare not into the face of the Black Pharaoh! You will find nothing but madness there, and he will twist your mind so that your actions and your thoughts are not your own. He will turn goodwill against you, and pave your path with deception and false promises."

"I'm sorry, but I'm not afraid," said Link, simply, "Please, can you tell me a way out of here? I have to get to that tower."

"Pitiable fool! Do you not see the world as I do?" cried the bard, "This place is no prison for you. Look there, upon the door to your sad cell! Open, as it has ever been. If you wish to leave you may do so in quite the normal fashion, but say not that Lysander the Bard neglected to warn you how dismal your fate will be if you go to that place."

Link spun around on his heel. The door was open! He hadn't noticed, so enthralled had he been with the enigmatic words of the pitiful bard. Even the larger metal door which sealed the individual cells in the greater vault stood open wide.

"Sorry, but I gotta go!" said Link at once. He waved to Lysander before scampering out of the cell and disappearing through the open vault door.

"Wait!" cried the bard, but the boy either didn't hear him or didn't listen. The old bard clicked his tongue disapprovingly, shaking his wide-brimmed hat back and forth.

"I didn't even get a chance to warn him about the temple guards," said Lysander to himself, "Too bad, I quite enjoyed having someone to talk to. Ah, well… he will be back before long, and if that's true he won't be leaving the next time."

He slumped back against the wall and reclined, once more letting the brim of his hat fall down before his eyes, and resumed his quiet and endless brooding.

* * *

NOTE: "That is not dead which can eternal lie, and with strange eons even death may die." This sentence is a quote by H.P. Lovecraft. His works are public domain, and therefore legal to use, but I feel that it is important that I make it clear that I am by no means taking credit for this brilliant piece of writing, and merely borrowing it for thematic purposes.


	25. The Streets of Kadath

Chapter 25

Once again Link's young eyes were wide with wonder as he gazed upon the strange and alien landscapes of a whole new world. It was marvelous!

The blackened tarnish of ancient fire was gone, the evil clouds had rolled away, and Kadath's towers stood shimmering and silver against the turquoise gulf of the bay beyond. Strange ships of unfamiliar design drifted lazy in the harbor, their sails like sheets of sparkling fairy light and sleek and steely water paddles churning behind them. The sickly green of the lamps had faded to cool blue and the sun was out in force. Atop the tallest tower, the eldritch emerald light had become a shining silver star. The tower itself had shaken off its obsidian darkness and stood white as bleached bone, like a citadel of pure marble pointed to the gods above.

Link had slipped unnoticed from the guard-house, finding it deserted, though the empty halls were now well furnished with desks of strange wood and metal from sources unknown to him. Murals covered the walls and in them were depicted people dressed in snow-white robes and wearing wooden sandals. They walked streets of silver, alongside gliding robots similar to those which had first deposited the boy and his friends in the small prison back in the Waking World.

Outside in the streets, he found the inspiration for those smiling figures in the colorful murals. People packed the streets as densely as had the zombies in the Kadath of the Waking World. Children were laughing and playing, women were sweeping the dust from the front of shops, men were leading horses by silver reigns and guards in silver-scaled armor were patrolling dutifully. It was as if the ghost of Kadath had risen up from the grave of the black necropolis, appearing to Link like a spectral window into the ancient past.

"Woah," said the boy to himself, stepping out into the street. He looked out over the slope of the road descending to the tall white tower in the distance, mesmerized by the beauty of the star that shined on its top. The magnificence of the white city was so captivating; he didn't see the horse and buggy trundling towards him.

"Hekba! Nintala el jura ur!" cried the driver.

Link's head snapped around just in time for him to see the galloping horse coming at him. He leapt forward, trying desperately to get out of the way. The animal's powerful chest struck him heavily in the side, knocking him to the dirt in a daze. He heard the sound of something made of glass skittering across the smooth pavement, and his hand went to his pocket automatically. The Sleepstone had fallen!

Link felt a sudden rush of adrenaline, which helped him to ignore the pain as he pushed himself up onto his knees and began to frantically search the street for the little stone. His eyes scanned about in a panic. Without the Sleepstone, he was stuck in the Dreamworld. He had to find it!

At last, he spotted it. It had rolled several feet away, but its blue lightning interior made it shine against the white pavement. He scrambled for it. It was mere inches away when the careless footfalls of a passerby crossed its path, kicking it further down. Link barreled after it, knocking into a man who swore loudly at him in the indecipherable dead language. He shoved his way through the crowd, frantically searching for the fallen stone. After a moment, he breached the wall of pedestrians, coming to a place where the street corner turned and the road went down at a steep incline towards the distant tower. There was the stone, resting peacefully on the corner. His face lit up, he made a beeline for it.

There was the sharp sound of a raven's caw, and a momentary shadow. The bird descended like a falling missile, its sleek black claws grasping the little stone with expert precision. With two powerful beats of its obsidian wings, it was aloft once more. Link dove after it, scraping his belly and elbows on the pavement, but the devious beast slipped right through his fingers. The boy watched helplessly as the bird grew more and more distant, becoming nothing but a speck in the sky, gliding purposefully towards the bone-white tower.

"No!" cried Link, "You won't get away from me that easy!"

He raised his fingers to his lips and whistled as loud as he could, "Here boy!"

He paused for a moment. Nothing happened. He tried again, "Here boy!"

He glanced around at the open sky. It was empty, save for a few flocks of ravens, like dark clouds whirling in the air. Where could the dragon be? Then, suddenly, he remembered.

"That's right," he said, turning his gaze down at the white stone beneath him, "Nyarlath killed you, didn't he? Everything has been so crazy since the Temple of Heart, I didn't even think about it. I didn't know _you _could die…"

Link felt a stinging in his heart, and he winced as a pair of silvery tears trickled from his blue eyes. He clenched his fist. No! Sadness could come later. Now it was time for action.

"Fine," said Link, "I will get it done myself!"

Determination in his eyes, the boy pulled his cap down snug on his head and went sprinting down the road in the direction of the white tower.

* * *

She'd watched her mother rope a Loftwing once. She supposed it must basically be the same thing. After all, wings were wings. Moths and birds couldn't be too different.

The thing must have only just emerged. She had walked the length of the gorge, cresting a small ridge and finding herself looking down on the form of a giant insect with wings the size of mainsails, the color of a cloudy, turquoise ocean. Its shoulders were midnight purple, and a stripe of the same color ran in ridges from the top of the wings to the tip, framing the cooling sea-green. Around its head it wore a mane of silver-white, and two antennae crowned it, their bobbing lengths bristled with wispy hairs, giving the impression of a bottlebrush plant. It turned to look at her, and its massive legs were the same midnight purple, and its eyes were giant pools of deepest black. Its face was imploring, docile and mouthless. This was a Gorgoru Moth, and behind it rested the shredded remains of its cocoon.

"Ok, easy there, girl," said Scarlett, approaching the thing with her hands held out flat, "If you're a girl. Whatever ye are."

The furry head tilted quizzically, its antennae swiveling about like rabbit ears. It flexed its wings, stretching them to full length and then raising them up so they stood vertically off its back. She saw the moonlight hit the wings, making them glisten wetly. They were still covered in a coat of viscous fluid from the inside of the cocoon.

Scarlett took a few steps closer, her arm outstretched carefully towards the beast, her eye watching the subtle twitching of its antennae with cautious interest. She was almost close enough to pat it on the soft tuft below the eyes where a nose might have gone on a more conventional face. She shuffled just a little closer, and laid her palm flat upon the hairy surface. It was soft as a goose-down and felt cool and clean like fine silk.

Suddenly, the thing withdrew, letting forth an airless snorting sound, and rounded on its spindly legs to show Scarlett its backside. It fluttered its massive wings, causing a small gust and spray of viscous wetness, but it could not take to the air. Its brand new wings were still wet and heavy, and it needed time before they would become the hardened, paper-thin sheets which gave such creatures flight.

It was perfect! If the moth couldn't get away, then Scarlett had some time to get it used to the idea of carrying a passenger. She started toward the thing again, laying one hand on the surface of its purple leg. The beast shifted its wings again, and Scarlett could feel the soft purple hairs bristle at her touch, but the moth did not move away. She stepped closer to the thing's massive thorax, never letting her hand leave the beast. She hoped that moths, like horses, would be less likely to spook if they knew exactly how you were approaching them.

Very wary, very slow, she touched the abdomen of the thing, feeling its sturdy exoskeleton beneath its hairy coat. It was a few feet taller than her, and she would have to use its own knee as a stoop to climb on its back. She lifted her leg, holding her breath as she tentatively placed her foot upon the upper segment of the furry leg. To her relief, the moth did not move.

Scarlett kept pretending she was mounting a horse to keep herself calm, as she leapt astride the giant insect. She was straddling its back now, its silvery mane fluffed out around her like a shaggy pillow.

The moth moved. She nearly lost her balance as the spindly legs trundled around, and the thing shook and reared back to try and dislodge her. Its wings beat frantically, and she could feel the power in its massive shoulders. She gripped the silver hair tightly; used her free hand to pat the creature in a way that she hoped was reassuring.

"Woah there, easy now!" said the pirate, "It's okay. There ya go. Good girl. It's okay."

The thrashing insect spun around in circles several times, flapped its wings in a few sporadic flutters, and then settled again. Scarlett let out a sharp exhale, relieved that the motion had stopped. Her head spun, dizzy with the moth's erratic twirling.

After a moment, it seemed the moth had settled down. Scarlett relaxed her grip, allowing herself to rest a moment and enjoy the pleasant softness of the silvery mane around her.

* * *

He was panting for breath by the time he reached the tower, and had to lean against the strange white stone wall around it while he regained himself. He had never run for so long without stopping. It had felt liberating. He felt as if he was outrunning his problems, pulling further and further from the desperate reality of his situation. The truth was he was scared as hell. Would he be stuck in the Dreamworld? Would Zelda and the pirates die in that dismal little prison while he slept? It was embarrassing to admit how vulnerable he felt. He had been so sure of his own ability as of late, with everyone calling him hero and insisting it was he that was the key to finally realize their dreams. Now, with neither sword nor Sleepstone nor dragon to carry him, he felt little more than the keeper of some strange tools now lost and powerless without them.

Once his chest no longer burned, and the sweat on his brow had cooled and dissipated, he did not allow himself a chance to brood on his misfortune. Ever the optimist, Link decided at once to set himself to the task of inspecting the strange wall around the tower for some weakness he might exploit to gain entrance.

He ran his fingers along the cool white stones. They were smooth to the touch, and felt as though they were covered in liquid, although when he withdrew his fingers he found them quite dry. Most peculiar was the lack of seams or grout lines, as though the entire curved surface was cleanly carved from a single stone. It was white and unblemished, and though the myriad ravens were crowded thickly about its top, there were not the streaks of excrement that were common among the gambrels of the lower, less pristine structures.

Also of note was the emptiness of the marble street which ran around the circumference of the wall. A mere block away, Link had seen the streets populated by joyful people and playing children, the district around the tower being apparently mostly private residences and small temples dedicated to strange and forgotten gods. At the wall, though, there were no people. In fact, as the boy went along he began to notice that all the structures on the street faced away from the tower, so that their faces opened out onto streets at least one over from the smooth and unblemished path that circled it.

Then Link saw a man standing in the road some distance ahead of him. A single raven cry split the air, and the boy felt a chill of inexplicable horror rise up his spine. There was something horribly unnatural about the man- nay, the _thing _which stood before him.

It wore blue robes with black trim, and upon it were drawn strange symbols which Link had spotted before on the packs and flags of Gerudo travelers on the road to castle town. It was a kind of wavy diamond, its centerpiece a shape which reminded Link of a double-sided crescent wrench with a dot in the center of each crescent. This symbol was borne on the belt buckle the being wore, which was extremely large and ornate, made out of a kind of metal which shone with the rainbow quality of an oil spill. Its hands, which it held clasped together with fingers interwoven, were spindly with slender digits, with one extra knuckle on each finger. Upon the fingers were many rings, all of silver. Its skin was jet black, except for one spot on the forehead, which bore a symbol like a crescent moon whose tips clasped a star as one might pinch a marble between their fingers. The symbol on its forehead was glowing seething hot white, so that it hurt Link's eyes to stare at it directly. Neither could he look the being in the eyes, for there shone voids like the starry gulfs of space, and looking into them gave the boy a nauseating sense of vertigo. Upon the crown of the black being's head, the horns of a ram curled from beneath the midnight blue pschent* it wore.

To Link's horror, the creature began to approach at a slow pace, taking long, deliberate strides towards him. Its hideous eyes were locked upon Link. The boy tried to move his legs, tried to run, but there was no strength in him. It was as if his muscles had permanently locked. His own heart was pounding in his ear, and behind it was a dull ring which echoed off the inside of his skull like the aftermath of an explosion. The raven cried again, and it sounded like the shrill scream of a woman being murdered.

He swallowed his saliva, finding his mouth becoming dry and cottony. His eyelids were stretched so wide, he thought they would never close. He felt the veins in his neck throbbing and the hairs on his neck standing on end. It was a bristling, sick feeling, like a spider running across his body.

As the horrible thing approached him, he saw that it was farther off than he had initially surmised. He had been tricked by perspective. The thing was Hylianoid in shape, but it stood nearly fifteen feet tall, taller than even Boro the Goron had been. Link could see its feet as they occasionally kicked from the bottom of its robe as it walked, and they were not like the feet of Hylians. They were more akin to a goat, cloven hooved, but massive and demonic, with wicked barbs like claws protruding from all sides.

The horror came very near to him. Held by its glamour, he was unable to retreat. As he looked up at the towering beast he thought of the fabled re-dead death gaze, and wondered if this was at all how its victims might feel before they are consumed.

The monster stooped low, inspecting Link more closely. Its hideous, void-filled eyes felt as though they might pierce a hole through him. He wanted desperately to turn away, but it seemed that the creature's supernatural hold on him grew with proximity, and even the small muscles in his eyes and his neck had become immobilized.

"Ibn sur amenhoten," snorted the creature, and its voice sounded like many voices laid one on top of the other, in a blasphemous parody of normal speech, "Al hazre Nyarlathotep ibn sol. Sursur nintala?"

Link felt the muscles in his throat relax, and knew that the beast wanted him to speak.

"I…" Link stammered, "I don't know what you are saying…"

"Sursur nintala Nyarlathotep ibn sol!?" barked the beast, showing Link its rows of teeth like jagged diamonds, and its purple tongue which forked like a serpent's. Its breath was like the terrible stench of ancient death, and Link could swear he felt the grainy feeling of sand in his throat.

"Yes, I want to see Nyarlathotep," said Link, "Are you his servant? Can you take me to him?"

The creature once again stood to its full height, sneering down its long nose at him. It raised one of its unnaturally long arms, and for a moment Link thought it would strike at him, but it extended the limb rigidly towards the wall, pointing one spindly digit at the smooth stone.

Upon the wall, a glowing symbol appeared the exact duplicate of the star and moon on the creature's forehead. The hot white seared and sputtered sparks, like a metalworker's torch. Soon, the symbol was accompanied by a square which bordered it, segmenting the wall with a space large enough to become a door. Once the shapes were drawn, and burned the brightest white they could, the light began to cool and all that was left were black scars of mathematical precision. The creature took two striding steps towards the wall, and braced its black palms upon the stone. Then, effortlessly, it pushed forward; the block of wall it had cut sliding cleanly inward towards the tower.

Link felt his muscles relax. He turned so he could better see into the new opening the creature had created. Shadow gaped at him from within. There was no sign of the mysterious being.

"Hello?"

Link called into the cut door, but no response came. He approached the opening, gripping the side of it with his hand, testing the stones to make sure that the strange things he'd seen were real.

Solid stone and darkness was his to behold.

The gap was impossible. The wall could not have been thicker than twenty feet, but illogical darkness stretched indeterminately away from him into some shadow realm beyond. The mocking ravens hooted and squawked from the wall above, but no more words came to the boy, even in the dead language. He was left alone to determine his next move.

"Well, this is the Temple of the Soul, right?" he said himself, or to the ravens. Neither had an answer.

His heart was racing. He felt a kind of anxiety he had never experienced before. The nearest feeling he could compare it to be was the horror of watching the great black octopus descend upon the Temple of the Mind. He stood on the threshold, contemplating entrance into the unknown void before him.

If he didn't go in, he would never find the treasure, and he would never leave the Dreamworld again. He would never see Zelda again. His blue eyes narrowed. His fists were balled. He gritted his teeth.

_I am not afraid!_

Stalwart and brave, Link went into the dark passage. He had gathered all his courage to him, and found, much to his own surprise, that he did not feel so useless after all. He didn't even notice the glow of the triangle on the back of his left hand.

* * *

*The **Pschent** (/ˈskɛnt/; Greek _ψχεντ_) was the name of the Double Crown of Ancient Egypt. The Ancient Egyptians generally referred to it as **sekhemti** _(sḫm.tỉ),_ the Two Powerful Ones.[1] It combined the Red Deshret Crown of Lower Egypt and the White Hedjet Crown of Upper Egypt.


	26. The Temple of the Soul

Chapter 26

The grim darkness was as deep as the pitch of the castle dungeon, and Link could feel the same phantom fears looming at his peripheral vision as he had in that forsaken place. The difference was, this time they might be real. He cursed the loss of his sword, feeling more vulnerable than he had in what felt like ages without the weapon at his side.

The passage was impossibly long, though he was glad to feel that the stone walls had not left him. It was only after about five minutes of traveling that he had turned around and realized the winking light of the city streets had vanished, and he was not certain that he could return to Kadath even if he wished to do so.

He shrugged off the uncertainty. What had he been certain of so far anyway? He had gotten this far by stumbling through the dark. He would stumble on, and if he tripped on something he would deal with that _then._

A smile curled across his lips, despite the oppressive darkness. For a second he had been thinking in a way that reminded him distinctly of Scarlett. The pirate may have been gone, but she had certainly left her mark on the boy.

His sentimental musing was shattered as the sudden sound of electric lights crackling to life surrounded him. The world lit up in marvelous electric blue, veins of silver-blue energy erupting from the stone walls, which he could now see were pearly white in contrast to the darkness that had blanketed them.

The hallway he was in opened into a circular chamber, its high ceiling fraught with arches which connected tall pillars that were situated in a circle around the center. Shafts of light began to illuminate the spaces between the pillars as great blue gemstones set in the ceiling began to glow. Link saw the silhouettes of ravens scatter from the piercing glow, seeking refuge in the corner shadows, their lost feathers fluttering silently to the floor.

There was a flash, momentarily blinding him. He winced against the hard light, letting his pupils adjust to the sudden luminous assault. In the center of the chamber, a pillar had lit up glowing blue, its light bright enough to illuminate the rest of the strange chamber. Ravens were gathered in throngs about the ceiling, looking like broods of feathered bats, huddled together with their wings over their sparkling eyes.

"Nyarlathotep!" called Link, stepping into the room, "I've come to see you! I'm not afraid, so come on out!"

Suddenly, the cloud of ravens about the ceiling stirred. Their wings stretched wide, and many of them screeched and cawed angrily at him. First one bird swept down, nearly crashing into his head, and then a hundred others followed suit, until the air about the boy was full of the sounds of flapping and squawking. He felt their talons brush his skin, tearing holes in his tunic, and covering him with stinging cuts. He threw his arms up to shield his face, screaming into the swarm of feathered attackers.

They could have likely consumed him, but they did not. Instead, the avian assailants gathered on the floor, until the stone was carpeted with their feathered forms. Link opened his eyes, watching as the mass of creatures in front of him churned together like a swirling black cloud. Ravens were scrambling to climb on top of one another, clicking and squawking and clawing, standing on the shoulders of each other's wings, and biting each other's legs and clutching each other's feathers, until they were linked together in such a way that they made a small tower in front of him.

This tower grew as more of the birds piled on, carelessly tearing and grasping at one another so that Link was sure they would draw blood. He watched as the ugly mass of feathered things grew before his eyes, until their twisted and unnatural forms took on the shape of a man in a black cloak. It was like a man, but headless, and made of ravens, like a living statue constructed from the rent corpses of a thousand of the obsidian creatures.

The thing was revolting. Link watched with disgust as one raven, larger than any he had yet seen, clawed his way up the side of the strange pile and inserted himself upon the shoulders like a blasphemous head. The wings were pulled in tight, and the enormous black beak clicked at him. The beady, dark eyes watched him in a way that seemed to bore into his soul. He remembered Nyarlath's hideous gaze, the first time those eldritch purple eyes had rested on him, and how sick it had made him feel inside.

"Golden One, Courage of Men!" screeched the bird. The many beaks that blanketed its bizarre body twittered and hooted at this.

"Kill him!"

"Consume him!"

"Destroy him!"

Each of the voices was different. Only the first had issued from the mouth of the large bird at the head of the entity. The others had been shriller, less intelligible, and more malevolent.

"Lamb and lion, calf and boar, goat of the woods and carrion buzzard; Which are you, Courage of Men? Which are you?" shrieked the head.

Link felt dizzy with nausea. His mind swam through a thick fog. He felt more than ever the oppressive blur of dreaming thought, and it seemed to him that he was stuck somewhere in that kaleidoscopic shift that marked transition between the two worlds. Something was horribly wrong about the place he was in, and it was difficult to ignore the fear.

Yet he had to!

Zelda was depending on him. He shook his head, focused.

"I seek the one called Nyarlathotep!" cried the boy, glaring at the raven-thing's dark eyes, "Show him to me!"

"Kara barida! Kara barida! The dark birds of dead Kadath!" the evil thing replied, "We shall test you, Courage of Men, and we shall find you wanting, we black birds! Light shall not shine upon the black pharaoh!"

"Woe and madness!"

"Kill him!"

"Consume him!"

The horrible voices invaded his skull, shaking him to his core. The raven-thing seemed to sense this, its myriad wings fluttering, and its looming form growing taller and nearer to the boy.

"You want to test me?" cried Link, "Fine then! Test me! I won't back down. I came to see Nyarlathotep, and I won't leave until I do."

"You will be tested, Courage of Men!" screeched the sinister head, "A riddle and then a foe, up three times the tower you must go."

"Fail and die!"

"Do no try!"

"Kill him, rend him, and pluck out his eyes!"

Link ignored the shrieking voices, pushed the thought of danger from his mind. He needed to be like the pirates, he needed to forget about fear and worry about survival.

"You want me to solve a riddle?" said Link, "Okay, fine. I'm not much good at that stuff, but if that's what I have to do then I will. What is the riddle?"

The raven-thing rose to its fullest height, puffing out its strange chest of folded wings. It began to speak, and so many mouths were uttering that Link could not keep track of which was which. The riddle came to him one line to one voice, and the shrill titter of the ravens made it hard for him to concentrate.

"Smells of sage!"

"Tastes of chamomile!"

"Does not grow in any field!"

"Born of age!"

"And mistakes made!"

"Expensive prices dearly paid!"

Link waited for a second before he realized there wasn't any more.

"What that's it?" asked the boy, feeling a little stupid, "That isn't anything!"

"It gives up! It gives up!"

"Consume!"

"Kill!"

"No, wait!" cried Link, "Just give me a second!"

His mind was racing, the raven's strange words swirling inside his skull like swimming fishes. _Smells of sage… _sage had a strange, musty aroma, but not unpleasant to him. _Tastes of chamomile… _He remembered the warm and bitter tea he sometimes drank on holidays at the orphanage. The unsweetened taste of chamomile was parching and sour, but strangely soothing and full of comfort. What did that have to do with age or mistakes though? He felt frustration, confusion and horror railing against logic in his mind. He had to think of something!

"Time is up, Courage of Men!" cried the raven-thing, "You fail!"

"No! Wait!" said Link, backing away as the feathered monstrosity bore down on him, "Goddess be damned, if only I had Zelda's wisdom!"

The obsidian beak was only inches from his face when the creature suddenly stopped. It glared evilly from its twinkling, dark eyes, and hooted at him in the most unpleasant way. Then, it drew itself up to its full height once more.

"Wisdom!" squawked the beast, "Clever, clever, Courage of Men!"

"Curse him!"

"Kill him!"

"Pluck out his eyes!"

"You have solved our riddle, Courage of Men," the head went on, "Now make wisdom your ally. Defeat your foe and meet us on the upper level."

There was an earsplitting cacophony of shrieks as the raven-thing split into a thousand individual ravens, the winged monsters taking flight into the shadowed corners of the room, and dissipating into darkness like a black-feathered fog. The blue lights of the room dimmed, and the pillar in the center of the room darkened all together. Suddenly, link was alone in silence; the only noise his own ragged breath. All at once he felt as though he hadn't caught his breath since he had left the jail cell back in the city.

Link turned round and round in the misty darkness.

"Hello?"

He listened attentively to the darkness. There was a sound somewhere distant, like the tapping of fingers being drummed on a desk. Link could barely perceive the shadow growing around him. He realized what was happening at the last possible moment.

"Hyaa!"

The boy screamed and leapt forward, rolling on the rough stone floor. He could feel something heavy cutting the air behind him. He heard something land, and twisted around to peer into the dark. He was only able to catch a small glimpse of the thing, retreating into the shadows of the ceiling. It had long, spindly limbs like a spider, but there was something strange about it. Its horrendous shaped seemed simultaneously alien and familiar, so that Link could not quite be sure what it had been. His eyes scanned the shadowy ceiling in horror.

There came the pattering sound of something drumming its fingers on the stone. Link turned and ran aimlessly into the dark, sure that he didn't want the thing dropping down on him, whatever it was.

He ran until he came to the gently curved wall of the room, where he pressed his back against the stones and sucked down air as calmly and quietly as he could. The monsters in this temple were more horrendous than anything he had ever seen, and here was Link without a weapon. The raven-thing had said that he must defeat a foe in order to advance through the temple, but how was he supposed to fight a monster with no sword?

Stopping to think had been a mistake. Link saw the shadow growing around him again, and had to somersault painfully across the rocky ground to avoid being snatched. This time, he landed on his backside on the cold stone floor and when the creature came down he saw it in full.

It was like the severed hand of some rotting, leather-skinned giant, the nub of its broken wrist bone protruding grossly from the meat stump at its top. It landed on the floor, splayed out on its fingertips like the many legs of a crawling insect. Link watched in terror as it raised two of its massive fingers like a threatening spider, the black nails at their tips glistening like venomous fangs.

The boy leapt aside as the gruesome digits came at him like striking spears. He could hear them chip the stones with horrible force. The beast was strong! Link turned to the darkness and ran as fast as he could away from the monstrosity. A moment later, he found himself leaning against the darkened pillar at the center of the room, panting desperately for breath, hearing his heart jackhammer in his ears.

He had to keep moving. Ignoring the burning of his lungs, he took to the darkness once more at a jog, aimlessly darting here and there with his eyes turned to the black ceiling. Several times, he fancied he could detect movement in the shadows. The thing must have been very swift, leaping from crevasse to crevasse, and crawling between the dark arches.

After a moment he needed to rest. He stopped for just a second, watching the space above him, straining to listen over his own panting. The telltale shadow began to grow around him, and he knew that the creature would come plummeting at him at any moment. He counted under his breath. 1… 2… 3… !

Link hit the floor, rolling acrobatically out of the way of the beast. It hit the ground with a smack, then leapt to its fingertips and began to grope around for him.

Bravely, the boy faced the beast, keeping out of reach of its fingers but near enough to watch its erratic movements. He back pedaled as it blindly grasped for him. Apparently, fast though it was, its vision was somewhat limited. Link wondered if it was somehow triggered by sound or motion. He took very careful steps away, watching the monster with horrified fascination.

Eventually, it trundled over to one of the pillars that dotted the room and went skittering back into the shadows overhead. Link was beginning to understand. It _had _to drop on him. Somehow, it couldn't find him unless it was on the ceiling. An idea struck the boy. It was risky, but what other option had he got?

He sprinted to the pillar at the center of the room.

"Hey, ugly!" shouted Link, "Come on and try that again! I'm right here!"

Link pressed his back against the pillar, his eyes locked on the shadowy ceiling. The adrenaline in him made it hard for him to keep his legs still, and his whole body was trembling as the shadow began to grow around him. He held his breath, counting silently in his mind.

On three, like clockwork, down came the creature. Link hit the floor, sprawling out as flat as he could. He knew the hand was coming, and expected any minute for the hideous fingers to wrap around him. Instead, he was greeted with a terrible squelch, and then a long and high-pitched scream which made the boy have to clasp his hands over his ears.

The walls sprang to life again, and the jagged pillar at the center of the room lit up electric blue. There, skewered on it like a kebab, the horrible monster hand was squirming and thrashing, its palm completely impaled. It was screaming mouthless, the sound otherworldly and deeply disturbing. Link scooted back as fast as he could; using his palms and heels to push himself away from the beast. He backed up until he was pressed up against one of the room's many pillars, and there he sat and watched with morbid curiosity as the creature flailed, twitched, and then stopped moving for the last time.

It was quiet again.

Carefully, the boy stood up, letting his fluttering heart slowly subside to its more regular rhythm. He stepped closer to the awful thing, inspecting its corpse the way one might regard the road kill of an unfamiliar animal. In the brighter light, he could see that its flesh was scarred and gangrenous, and the fingernails, which he had supposed by were naturally black, were actually caked with a thick, dark layer of dried blood.

Link's attention was drawn away from the terrible dead thing by a noise from above. He looked up. Unfolding from the darkness of the ceiling, a snake of cold metal and smooth white stone was unfurling, become more and more like a spiral staircase. Link watched as it unfurled in a whimsical fashion, seeming to magically become more than it was a second ago. Once it had touched down by his feet, an ornate stairway twisted up to the shadows above.

"Up three times," Link repeated the Raven thing's words to himself, "Okay, two to go. Let's do this."

And up the stairs he went.

* * *

In the lonely little prison, the sound of click and pecking was causing Zelda to stir from her dreams. It was a shame. She hadn't dreamed so pleasantly in quite some time. She had been in the castle, in the garden during summer, picking flowers. She was making a wreath, as she often did, to offer to her guest as a present. Who else was there?

She'd seen him through the veil of the fountain water, its cascade blurring his forest green tunic and peachy skin. The memories were shaky, as those of dreams often were: His hand in hers, a pleasant smile, lips…

There was still a smile on her face as her eyes slowly opened. It took her a moment to remember why she was in a jail cell. She sat up, the ruined white dress she wore feeling mucky and dirty on her skin. She had been sweating. The harsh stone floor was even less comfortable than her bed on the pirate ship, and paled in comparison to the cushy mattresses provided by the Gorons of Diamondhearth. She sat up, feeling the stiff pain in her neck and shoulders.

Her smile became a frown. She glanced around the room. Gwen was sleeping, huddled into a fetal ball in the center of her cell. Zig had his hands folded in his lap, and was sitting cross-legged and upright, but seemed to also be asleep. There was something amiss, however. The door to Link's cell stood wide open, as did the one which belonged to the solitary re-dead that had been the original occupant of the little jail, and both beings had utterly disappeared.

"Link?" said Zelda, confusion suddenly mounting. She didn't feel groggy anymore. The pit of her stomach seemed to drop out of her, and she felt herself trembling.

"Link!" she cried louder. One of Zig's eyes slid open. Gwen began to stir.

"Whatsamatter?" slurred Gwen through half-sleep, rolling over so that her mane of black hair stuck up in all directions.

"He is gone!" cried Zelda.

Zig's eyes snapped open. The old pirate stood, going to the bars between his and Link's cell. He inspected the empty cage, finding no trace of the missing boy.

"What do you mean gone?" said Gwen, sitting up. She saw the empty cell and cocked one eyebrow in confusion, "Where the hell can he have gone? He wouldn't have just left without saying anything."

"No, he would never!" agreed Zelda, getting to her feet, "That re-dead is missing too. Oh, Link! I hope nothing terrible has happened to him."

"Maybe he is in the Dreamworld?" offered Gwen.

"It can't be that simple," replied Zig, placing one hand on his chin in contemplation, "Every other time he has entered the Dreamworld he has left his body behind. His magic doesn't work that way. This is something else entirely."

"Well, what are we supposed to do?" asked Gwen.

"There is nothing we can do," said Zig, simply, "Like it or not, we are still trapped in here. Wherever Link has gotten off to, we have to just hope he is okay and that he is coming back for us."

Zelda heard Zig's words, but could scarcely believe them. Her eyes were locked on the spot where, mere hours ago, Link had been sleeping. She couldn't bear to lose another person. Not now. Especially not _him_. She turned her eyes to the little window above Link's cell, seeing that the sun had yet to rise over dead Kadath. There was a kind of mania in her blue orbs, her mouth pointed down in a furious frown. Under her breath she said, "You had better not break your promise."

* * *

Far and away, in the little crevasse with the many giant cocoons and the pleasant saltwater falls, by the light of the moon Scarlett was becoming the world's first moth rider.

The huge insect ambled about at a gait which felt impossible to get used to, its clumsy legs tossing Scarlett about as it explored the little gorge which had been its place of birth. Scarlett was comfortable gripping its soft mane, but nauseated from the erratic way the beast jostled her as it walked.

Eventually, the cumbrous creature came to the wall of the little gorge, feeling the sheer surface with its antennae before cautiously testing it with one hairy foot.

"No, you daft beast!" cried Scarlett, "If you go that way I will fall!"

She pulled and tugged at the creature's soft silver hair, but it didn't seem to notice. The big bug lifted up its other leg, placing it higher on the rock. This tilted Scarlett so that she had the terrible sensation of hanging free from a great height, and she clung to the creature for dear safety.

With a jerking motion and a single gust of air, the massive wings of the creature were suddenly extended to their limit. It flapped them lazily, and Scarlett could see by the moonlight that they were dry. She clenched her grip involuntarily.

"Woah, wait a second!"

Without warning, the powerful wings began to beat more fiercely. Scarlett felt a sudden lurch, and the bug took to the air. The pirate let out a shrill scream, clutching the silver mane of the moth as tightly as she possibly could. The salty spray of the waterfalls and the crags and caves of the gorge went flying past in a blur. Suddenly the air became cool and windswept, and the jagged tops of dead trees were zooming past.

Then they were in sky! Stars, for miles and miles!

The moth's wings went flat, and Scarlett could feel the razor chill of the wind cutting through her. She hunkered down in the moth's mane, trying to seal in whatever warmth she could.

Peering over the moth's shoulder, Scarlett saw the ocean stretching away to the dark horizon. The creature drifted in the air currents, dipping out of its magnificent glide to turn further inland.

Something shined at Scarlett from over the forest of dead trees, away over a hill and close to a peninsula which jutted off the coast. A light, sickly and green, like a star come too near to the world and therefore trapped on its surface. The moth must have seen it too, because suddenly that was where they were headed.

"Hey, where are you taking me?" Scarlett asked the moth, who did not respond, "Oh well, I guess it will have to do. Not like I have a choice at this point."

She did not have a choice. Onward they went on gossamer wings, drawn to distant and portentous flames. Scarlett watched the winking emerald star on the horizon, and smiled. Destiny would bring her to the right place, this she knew. Her mother had told her so. A Shiekah was never anywhere other than where she needed to be.

She gripped the silver mane and howled at the shining moon like a wolfos from hell. She didn't know if anyone had heard her, but, if anyone did, she hoped they were smart enough to be afraid.


	27. Dead Hand

Chapter 27

At the top of the stairs, Link was not surprised to see the horrifying raven-thing waiting for him. The beast was preening itself, which looked alien and horrible as done by a man made of ravens. As soon as Link set foot on the top step, its attention had snapped to him, and it threw open its black beak and let loose an evil squawk.

Link approached the thing, pushing its horrifying presence out of his mind. He wouldn't be bullied by any villain, no matter how awful it might be.

"There, I won," said Link, "What next?"

He watched the raven-thing, and it watched him back with dark and starry eyes.

"Another riddle, Courage of Men."

The raven-thing spread its blasphemous wings, and its wings spread their wings, and the myriad pile of otherworldly ravens spoke thusly:

"Sits on thrones,"

"Has no bones,"

"Lights the lamps and lifts the stones!"

"Always sought,"

"Seldom got,"

"Best serves those who want it not!"

Link _knew _this one. He had never been one for word games, and he didn't consider himself to be overly clever, but the words of the riddle seemed plain to him. He thought of Zelda, usurped from the throne of Hyrule, and Nyarlath, who coveted that throne. He thought of Scarlett, who would have killed an innocent child to reclaim a magical treasure, and of his dragon and his Sleepstone, the unwanted burdens which had delivered her from that early death.

"Power," said Link, "The answer is power."

The ravens tittered and squawked,

"Cheater!"

"Vile!"

"His eyes! His eyes!"

The head of the beast let out a massive screech, and silence fell over the fluttering legion.

"Power, yes, you have solved it, Courage of Men," said the raven-thing, "Now conquer power for yourself. Take up your blade and strike down your foe. Then come meet us on the upper level."

"I have no blade!" cried Link, "Those machines, which I suspect work for you and your master, took it from me. This test of yours is garbage! Show me Nyarlathotep, the black-hearted liar! I won't rest until I've met him."

The raven-thing seemed to sneer at him for a moment before saying, "The Black Pharaoh is not unfair. Folded steel for the Courage of Men, as it has ever been."

The beast leaned down till its face was inches from Link and he could smell its putrid breath. To his disgust, the beak opened, and he could see the slimy black tongue resting on the bottom of the mouth. Link watched as the bird began to heave, its gullet widening impossibly. Some solid object was stuck up in the throat of the beast, and with each sickly wretch a bit more of the thing protruded, until Link could see the pommel of a sword.

"Grasp it!"

"Clutch it!"

"Feed it blood!"

The legion tittered gleefully. Link glanced around himself, desperately wishing that all which had occurred was but a dream he could awake from. He realized how ironic this was as soon as the thought had crossed his mind. This _was _a dream… a _nightmare_. As he clutched the handle of the blade, which he thanked the goddesses was dry, he found himself wishing instead that he might never have to sleep again.

With one fierce pull and a sickly pop, the thing came free.

It was hideous, marvelous, evil and deadly. The blade was pure obsidian, razor-sharp and square, with an angular tip designed to cleave on one side. The other side of the blade was a horrendous saw, serrated and grisly with the stains of eons old blood. Oily-looking pearls were set in its cross guard, and its pommel was the petrified eye of a raven, locked eternally in a maddening, lidless stare.

Link lifted the blade, watching it gleam in the electric blue light. Holding the thing gave him a restless feeling in his arm. He felt as though the blade itself were willing him to use it. He had no sense of bloodlust. The few living creatures he had swung a sword at over the last couple of weeks he had done so purely to defend himself. He knew that swords were just objects and that they shouldn't have desires or personalities, but the weapon gave him the distinct impression that, for it, killing something would be joyful. He shuddered at the thought. Still, it was better than not having a weapon…

His thoughts were silenced for the moment as the raven-thing once again exploded into a thousand ravens and disappeared. He held his sword aloft, waving it around the room as the darkness he had expected began to creep over the place. Mists rose from the ground, and the floor beneath his feet began to squish with each footfall. He looked down, seeing that cool stone had been replaced with soft, loamy soil. The air became charged with an electric chill, like an evening in early fall when the forest would fill with mist and the trees would cast long and eerie shadows. Somehow, the whole temple had shifted, and there was no longer any sense of the walls and arched ceilings. Link couldn't see a thing through the thick veil of fog, but he knew something was there. His eyes narrowed.

_Come get me then._

As if to answer his thoughts, a guttural moan split the misty air. Link snapped in that direction, his sword leading him like a dowsing rod. Through the mists, the silhouette of some hunch-backed figure could be seen, lumbering slowly towards him. The thing was a behemoth, to be sure. It had to be at least five feet taller than him.

He could see his breath coming in billowing clouds. The cold was intensifying. He gripped the sword white-knuckle tight in his hand. The creature was almost upon him, as it glided unnaturally forward through the mist. The obscuring fog was growing thinner… and Link saw what he could never un-see.

It was the head of a man, although emaciated and ghostly white. Red sores marked its face, and coagulated blood and puss oozed from the wounds. Its nose either had been removed or never existed. A skeletal pair of slits remained in its place. The eye sockets were sunken and nearly hollow, but for the evil red fires that burned deep within them, unlike any kind of eye. The teeth were horrible, like a mess of jagged shark teeth, arranged in broken row after broken row. The mouth was _all_ teeth, and if there had been lips they never could have curled over all those fangs.

The way it held its head out in front of its shoulders seemed to defy nature. Its neck was long and ridiculous, craning from its hunched back. Its body was naked, the same ghostly white as the face, and covered in the same sores and putrid wounds. It grew progressively more rotund towards its base. It had no feet, but rather seemed to slide along the ground in the manner of a slug. Link did not want to imagine what kind of slime trail it might leave.

Perhaps most disturbing though were its arms, which it held out in front of it the way a begging dog does when it sits up on its haunches. The white-skinned, slender limbs ended in spiked hooks, which looked sharp and hard as steel and were caked in thick, red-black blood. It groaned again, and its voice was like ten men all grumbling in pain, their agony mixing together in a terrible kind of vocal harmony.

Link found himself stepping backward from the thing automatically, his eyes wide as saucers, his heart filled with terror. What horrible blasphemies were hidden within this place!

After a few steps backward, Link stumbled as he collided with the trunk of a tall, skinny tree. It felt strange. He reached back with his free hand, feeling the trunk, making sure it was solid. He felt cold, clammy skin under his fingers. Link yelped in fear, turning so he could see the tree for himself. _It was not a tree._

An arm, hideous and impossibly elongated, was sticking up from the ground like the stalk of some horrible plant. Its skin was the same ghostly white as the hunch-backed creature which was slowly advancing on him, and at its wrist was a hand with slender fingers which ended in the same blood stained hooks as the small arms on the creature's torso. Link barely had time to scream. The towering arm bent at the elbow and came snapping at him like a bear trap.

It gripped his shoulder with impossible strength! Link felt a bolt of panic shoot through him. Screaming like a madman, he hacked at the grasping limb with his new sword.

The black blade was as sharp as it looked. Its razor edge cleaved through the stalky arm in two swift chops. Link threw the offending appendage away from him, feeling as though he could still feel it clutching at him. The ruined stump of the arm retreated sadly into the dirt, no blood coming from the wound, which looked thick and congealed.

Link rounded on the monster, sensing its chomping mouth coming closer. The thing had bent down, its long neck extending to provide it a better angle to bite him. He pointed his sword at it, stumbling backwards through the mists,

"Back off!"

The ground around the creature began to churn. White fingers with blood-red tips came groping through the soil. First one hand emerged, and then another, then another… it seemed there was no end to them! They scraped for him. Suddenly, his left foot felt planted to the spot. He looked down. One of the horrid things was holding his ankle!

"Ahhh!" he screamed, swinging his blade wildly. Even as he chopped the hand away, another grabbed his shoulder, then another shot up and gripped his other leg. He flailed madly, chopping a gash in the one on his shoulder, but failing to sever it completely.

The beast moaned at him again, slithering nearer and nearer with its jagged mouth opened wide. Link gritted his teeth, and twisted his body with all his might. The sword seemed to take over. He was thrown into the familiar whirlwind, just as he had before when fighting the Lizalfos or the Phantom of Nyarlath. A fiery red light erupted around him. His whole body spun like a top, chopping down the attacking limbs as if they were made of paper.

He came out of the spin just in time to give the creature one good slash across the cheek. It shot straight up, pulling its face away from the stinging sword with a horrible shriek.

The thing withdrew at surprising speed, slithering backward several feet before suddenly diving into the ground as though it were water. Link couldn't believe his eyes. He ran forward, searching the darkness for any sign of the beast. All that was left was a gaping hole in the soft earth. Eerie silence had returned to the misty void around him.

He was too smart or too jaded to believe that it was over. He brandished his sword once more and began to turn around and around in circles with the weapon pointed out in front of him. It was strange, but he didn't feel afraid. A voice in his head seemed to be urging him on, so that the only thought in his mind was _attack_.

Without warning, more phantom limbs sprang up from the dirt around him like so many sprouting weeds. Their vicious, bloodstained claws clutched at him. He swung the sword frantically, cleaving hand after hand, only for them to be replaced time and again by another. They were like a swarm around him, coming from all angles. He could feel their gross flesh, spattering and flying around him in messy globs, staining his tunic with their rotten blood and sickly puss.

One hand caught him by the collar of his tunic, pulling him onto his back. He rolled over, feeling the wet dirt mixing with the blood, caking his clothing and skin. He screamed defiantly, hacking at the limbs even as they piled on him, clawing, scraping, and pulling. His eyes were full of fury and mania, his battle cries growing fiercer and shriller.

From the churning soil around him, the gruesome head emerged once more. It roared like a demon. The ground around it began to sink, forming a kind of funnel with the creature's tooth-filled mouth at the center. Hands gripped his legs and his clothing wherever they could find hold. They were dragging him deeper and deeper into the pit, towards the gaping, blood-soaked mouth.

He screamed.

* * *

Scarlett winced at the intensity of the green star, which she could now see rested at the crown of an immense black tower. There was no mistaking it, she had found the fabled necropolis, and judging by the ever increasing intensity of the city's ghostly green glow, her crew had beaten her to it. She would have felt proud if she hadn't been so sure it was Link who had gotten them that far.

As the moth swooped low over the expanse of the dead city, Scarlett could see by the eldritch lanterns that lined the street the throngs of stumbling redead which crowded its alleys and boulevards. She shuddered at the thought of all those leathery, groping hands… she hoped her crew wasn't already on their backs in some corner street being devoured by the beasts. She wanted to have faith in Gwen and Zig, but the truth was these days that there was only one person she could count on besides herself to get the job done, and as much as it aggravated her to admit it, she was glad that _he _was with them.

Suddenly the moth jerked to the side, rolling in towards the tower. Scarlett felt her stomach drop as the insect dove, swooping so near to the glowing crown of the structure that she was sure it would crash.

"Hey, you idiot! It's just a light, leave it alone!"

The moth clearly was not listening. It swooped around for another pass, fluttering wildly. This time, its legs tapped the tower, and the momentary impact nearly threw Scarlett out of the saddle. She made the mistake of glancing down.

The tower was hundreds of feet tall, taller than even the high minarets of Castle Town. Its peak, she could see from up close, was made of some kind of cloudy crystal, arranged in curved spikes which seemed too symmetric to be naturally formed, though the idea of their fabrication was baffling. These spikes were curved in such a way that each one's tip formed a support for the shining green star to rest upon, which Scarlett could now see was not a star, but an immense, glowing gemstone.

"What the hell is that?"

The moth apparently shared Scarlett's curiosity. With a tremendous leap and a flutter it launched itself at the glowing stone.

The light was so intense! There was a strange feeling under the odd green light. Almost as though it somehow sucked the life and warmth right out of you. A radiating, visible feeling of cold. It reminded her of steam flowing off the surface of snow, like solid become gas right before her eyes. The moth crawled along the thing, its big black orbs reflecting the twinkle of the green gem dazzlingly.

"This is real dark magic," murmured Scarlett to herself, "What could it be for?"

The moth crawled around the thing, feeling its glowing surface with the frond-like tips of its bushy antennae. Scarlett leaned to stay mounted, but was unable to resist the temptation to stare down the height of the tower.

She noticed something she hadn't before: below the green gemstone, an intense beam of green light was emitting from the tower, striking the bottom of the stone full-on. So the stone was refracting the light! Could it be a signal? Like a beacon or a lighthouse? That meant the tower itself was producing magical energy. There was no doubt about it, the temple was inside. Scarlett had to find a way into that tower.

There was a sudden tremor which shook the city all around, causing the tower to tremble and quake. The moth was startled and suddenly reared back. Scarlett felt her grip on the silvery fur come loose. She scrambled to regain her hold, but it was too late. She felt herself falling.

Hard stone met her eight feet down. The moth had thrown her, but she had landed on the cloudy crystal surface of the tower's crown, her legs partially dangling over the ledge. She crawled backwards, wanting to distance herself from the hundreds-of-feet drop down.

The green light of the tower flared, and with it came a gust of chill wind which made the pirate shiver. She watched as the silhouette of the moth passed through the dark sky around her, the insect still fluttering uselessly at the shining green stone. From Scarlett's new position on the tower top she could see the beam of light more clearly. It was like a column of green fire, pouring upwards into the massive gemstone. It emitted from a hollow tube at the center of the tower top, and Scarlett could see that the passage was wide enough around that one might pass through it without entering the beam of green light, if one were very careful. She cursed the loss of her hookshot.

She inched towards the opening, huddling low to the ground and leaning over so she could peer down into the pit below. The green light was too blinding in the narrow tube for her to see the bottom, and the chilly feeling of the ghostly light was blasting out of the hole with tempest intensity. As Scarlett strained to see deeper into the pit, she was startled by the sudden eruption of a sound from within: a blood curdling scream, which was promptly stifled to a gurgle.

"Sounds like a party down there," said Scarlett, "Wonder why I didn't get an invite."

* * *

He could feel the chomping mouth inches from his boots. The awful clawed hands were pulling him ever closer, and in mere seconds he would become a meal for the blasphemous thing.

There was a violent tremor. The whole world around him seemed to quake. For a split second, the grip of the evil arms was loosened. It was all the time he needed.

He felt his adrenaline mounting. His eyes were wide. Intense heat seemed to travel through him in waves, from his core to the tips of his fingers. He swept the sword in a wide arc across the forest of arms, cleaving them all cleanly in one fell swipe. The boy sprang to his feet, now in a rage so pure and consuming that he was scarcely aware of his own actions. Blood and gore dripped off of him and his blade as he leapt into the air, throwing himself at the monster with no concern for his own life. The jaws of the beast were right in front of him. The fiery red eyes gaped at him like bottomless wells.

"HYAAAAAAAAA!"

He thrust the blade into the monster's mouth, sinking it down nearly to the cross guard. The beast seemed to wretch and cough, a syrupy flow of coagulated blood and bile pouring like chunky soup from the corners of the smiling mouth. It emitted the most blood curdling shriek Link had ever heard. He felt the hairs on his arms and the back of his neck stand on end. His stomach felt weak and sick, and suddenly his temples pounded and his vision swam. The scream died to gurgles and sputters as the monster drown in its own gore, the forest of hands it had sprouted going limp and receding into the dirt, shriveling in the manner of salted slugs.

The scene began to change.

The body of the terrible creature was shrinking and dissolving more and more. The lights began to return, blue and electric, casting out the rolling mists. As the mist shrank away, it took the loamy soil with it, restoring the cool stones of the temple. Something like normality was returning to the world, but the filth and blood caked to Link's arms and tunic remained.

His adrenaline began to subside. His nostrils were suddenly assaulted with the baleful smell of decaying cadavers. He felt his hands begin to shake. The black sword fell to the floor with a clatter. In a moment, the boy was on his knees, vomiting painfully on the temple floor.

After a time, he rolled onto his back, watching through a haze of exhaustion as the pearlescent staircase came descending from the high ceiling. He laughed a little, but it made him choke on his own spit, causing him to hack and cough. He wanted to scream, to cry, but none of that seemed possible anymore. What was he becoming? He had never felt rage like that before, had never swung a sword so filled with hatred. The cursed creature he had killed was something that never should have existed to begin with, but he couldn't rationalize the feeling it had given him to slay it. It was as though his thoughts were not his own, as if he was a different person entirely. He had felt numb in the moment, as though nothing mattered, not even his own life. In the past, he had only attacked anything to defend himself or a friend, but this had felt different. It had felt _good _to kill the monster, and that terrified him.

Once he had caught his breath, the boy pushed himself up from the cold stone and dusted off as much of the residual dirt and gore as he could. It didn't do much good. He hated to admit it, but he needed a bath pretty badly.

"Well, one more to go," said the boy, turning his gaze to the spiral staircase. He nodded to himself, pushing any thoughts of terror or self-doubt away. There was more work to do.

He went to the stairs, gripped the bannister, and put his foot on the first step… but something kept him from climbing. He glanced over his shoulder at the black sword, resting on the ground nearby. It was resting in such a way that the raven eye in the pommel was pointed directly at him. It sparkled hypnotically, seeming to glare straight through him. He swallowed dryly. For a split second, he could have sworn he saw it blink.


End file.
